Of Mixed Emotions
by Aurhora
Summary: As Kagome grows confused as to what her heart truly desires, she must find out who Inuyasha has really chosen in his heart. Will she let destiny choose her path for her, or will she follow her heart and risk breaking it again?
1. Natirozenu

Hi, this is my first fanfic ever published on this username. I thought I should let you know, this fanfic is being written by myself and a friend through a roleplay we are doing, and Inuyasha's actions should be credited to him. Well... at least the parts I didn't tweak a bit... Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review!

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Inuyasha lay on his back upon a branch of a shaded tree. His hands were clamped behind his head, being used as a pillow to support his head from the rough texture of bark. Slight twitching came from his delicate dog ears, hearing the soft rustling of the wind, ruffling the leaves of trees. Other than that, he heard nothing, the forest was silent today. He glanced around, only seeing scattered trees.

"Where the heck is Kagome?!" He said out loud, just to break the silence that was starting to get on his nerves. He shifted his position, now sitting up. A low growl came from his throat as he put his arms in the sleeves of his red kimono, as sure sign he was getting angry. His eyes wandered as he started to get impatient from waiting for Kagome to get back from her own time era. Inuyasha jumped down from his perching spot, landing softly upon the ground. He folded his arms across his chest as he paced impatiently, back and forth, underneath the tree. Again, he shifted his position, now sitting on the ground in his usual dog like position, glaring coldly at the well.

A yellow backpack arced through the air, landing with a heavy thump on the grass. Next came a bow and a quiver of arrows that were dropped at the well's side. Kagome's head appeared above the edge of the well, panting a bit after lugging her overstuffed pack up the ladder. Sitting on the edge of the well, she took a deep breath and exhaled, wiping a hand across her perspiration dotted brow, not noticing Inuyasha.

His ears twitched, as his keen sense of smell caught the scent of Kagome. "You're late!" He bluntly stated, as he narrowed his amber eyes at her, giving her a cold glare. "What's your excuse this time? A stupid test? Your dumb school work? Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it. You know what? I'm sick and tired of your lame excuses!" He said in bitterness, not even giving her time to defend herself. He glanced away, putting his arms in the sleeves of his kimono again.

"Inuyasha! How am I late?! I didn't even tell you what time of day I was going to come back!!!" Kagome glared right back at him. She stood up, slinging her pack over her shoulders and grabbing her bow and quiver. "I have a life over there too you know, I can't just devote all of my time to being here with you."  
  
She stormed past him, nose high in the air as she followed the dirt path that would take her back to Lady Kaede's village, where the others were staying.  
  
"I can't believe I was actually thinking of apologizing to him with my abrupt leaving. He's so rude!" She thought.

He continued his growling, as he glanced over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes at her. "I don't care what time of day you came back. Don't you how long I've been sitting here waiting for you?!" He called out after her, almost yelling. "Where do you think you're going?! You can't just leave me here by myself!" He said, still calling after her, slowly trailing behind Kagome.

"I can and I will! You need to learn the virtue of patience, Inuyasha." Kagome dumped her things in Lady Kaede's hut, finding a note scribbled on bark parchment.  
  
_Kagome and Inuyasha,  
  
Sango, Shippo and I have gone to look for her brother, after receiving a clue from some people passing through the village. Lady Kaede has gone off to a neighboring village to help them through a plague of sickness that is in danger of spreading to other areas. We will return soon.  
  
Miroku_  
  
Kagome sighed, and thought, "It's just going to be me and Inuyasha. What fun." Slowing down as he entered the hut, Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome, and saw how miserable she looked. Shifting his gaze over to the piece of parchment she held in her hands, his ears twitched as he read it. "What? They can't leave! Tonight is a new moon. They know that I'm powerless when I become a weak human." He thought bitterly. He glanced over at Kagome again. "How am I going to protect Kagome?"  
He uttered a deep sigh before speaking. "Well, they're gone, so there isn't any reason for you to be here. You can go home now." He said, trying to keep his voice calm and sound convincing.

Kagome jerked her head towards him, narrowing her eyes and crying out. "What?! After all that yelling about how I was SO late and how LONG you were waiting for me, you tell me to GO HOME!?!?! No way mister, I am staying right here."  
  
She twitched her nose at him and to prove her point, set up her sleeping roll, then built up the embers of the dying fire with dry tinder and sticks.

He put on a sullen look in response. Clearly she had forgotten that tonight would be the night of a new moon, which would make him become a full human, losing his ability to wield the Tetsusaiga, as well as to use his claws.  
  
Inuyasha hesitated for a moment, seeing darkness taking over the sky, then said again with a slight edge of anxiety in his voice, "So? There's no reason for you to be here, and the Jewel Shards can wait one more day, so I suggest you go home." practically repeating himself. Kagome watched him carefully. It wasn't like him to just send her away, usually it took about 5 falls in the dirt to get him off her back and let her go home. What was so special about tonight? Then an idea struck her and Kagome narrowed her eyes again.  
  
"You-you're meeting Kikyo, aren't you? That's why you want me to go, isn't it? Well, I don't care! Go ahead and have your little tryst, I'm staying here because we have jewel shards to find. Feel free to leave to wherever you're meeting her, I'm getting some water from the well."

Hearing Kagome's words, he let his gaze drop to the ground, trying to ignore the hurt that her words had caused. "No! Do I have to have a reason for everything?!" He replied to her, raising the volume of his voice. He put his arms in the sleeves of his kimono, clenching his hands into fists.

Kagome picked up the wooden bucket from outside the door and flipped her hair at him, ignoring the question, fuming inside at Inuyasha. She slammed the bucket down on the side of the stone well in the middle of the village, then had to bite back a scream of frustration when she saw the well had run dry in the summer heat. She picked up the bucket and stormed down the path towards the spring nearby as she could see the creek running under the village bridge was all but dried up too.

He smirked, seeing the frustration she had written all over her face. "Heh, see. I told you there is no reason for you to stay." He repeated himself again. Inuyasha didn't care that his last statement didn't make any sense to a person with rational thinking, he was starting to get really nervous watching the sky get darker and darker, and was starting to wonder if he should just pick up Kagome and take her through the well himself.

Kagome didn't hear Inuyasha's last statement, too wound up in her own thoughts and emotions to notice anything outside of them. Her mind kept drifting back to the fact that Inuyasha had chosen Kikyo, not herself. "You idiot, you just said that so that you wouldn't have to leave... Inuyasha probably just wants you to go because he hates being around you in his human form..."  
  
Kagome knelt by the spring, cupping her hands, bringing the sweet, fresh water to her lips, drinking deeply. As she stared at her reflection in the rippling water, a single tear ran down her cheek, which she brushed away angrily. Taking the bucket, Kagome filled it almost to the brim then began to walk back to the village, trying not to spill her precious load.

Inuyasha uttered a soft sigh, realizing that nothing was going to make Kagome go back to her own time era tonight. Might as well enjoy her company while he reverts back to human. He looked over to Kagome, before slowly walking over her, taking the bucket out of her hands.

"Feh, knowing how clumsy you are, you might trip and get hurt. Don't expect me to take care of you when you do, 'cause I ain't Kaede. I don't go around healing people." He said condescendingly.

The retort Kagome had on the tip of her tongue disappeared when a deep roar pierced the sky. From the hills of the forest rose a dark shape, black against the night sky, seeming to stand as taller than new moon which was rising into the sky. The shape revealed itself to be of a large dragon, the size of Ryokotsusei, black as ebony. "I've come for the jewel shards." It rumbled in deep bass tones though its mouth never opened and there was no face on its forehead to speak for it. In large paw, it grabbed Kagome, squeezing her tight between its talons, making her scream in pain. Before she could utter a cry for help, the dragon spirited the two of them away. 

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Heh, sorry about the cliffhangar, I'll update ASAP, I promise.


	2. Riyokotsusei's Sire

Hi, I hope you like this second installment. Please REVIEW!! I need reviews!! I might not post another chapter after this one if I don't get at least ONE review!!! The review count right now is one!

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Inuyasha's ears perked in alarm, hearing the voice of the dragon. Before Inuyasha had a chance to wield the Tetsusaiga, his human features began to take over his hanyou features. His dog ears were now gone, being replaced with human ones on the sides of his head. The silver hue of his hair darkened, now matching the hue of Kagome's, and his amber eyes turned brown, seeming that they had more warmth.  
"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried out desperately, flinging away the bucket as he began to give chase to the two of them.  
"The arrows Inuyasha! Use the Sacred Arr- AHHH!!!" Kagome's sentence was cut off by another vicious squeeze from the dragon. "Use the arrows Inuyasha! They're your only chance!!!" Her last few words were faint as the dragon whisked her away.  
He gave a quick nod, heading back towards the village. His breathing was heavy; it seemed that it was harder for his body to handle endurance needing tasks when he was in his human form. He cursed under his breath at that thought. Quickly, he picked up the bow and quiver before running in the direction the dragon took Kagome.  
It took a few minutes for him to catch up with them, but as soon as he did, he stopped in his tracks as he pulled back the arrow on the string of the bow. He released it, trying to aim for the dragons chest, but it missed the dragon's body altogether. "How the heck do you use these things?!" He called to Kagome. He was used to wielding a sword, and could now understand her clumsiness at her first attempts of using the bow and arrow..  
The dragon used the end of his tail to smash Inuyasha into a nearby cliff face, pinning him there as he said, "Pesky half-demon, you dare challenge me, sire of the weak Ryukotsusei for possession of this human girl? If you are so foolish as to do so, come and find me in my dwelling place, if you can make it there in time before she is dead." The dragon made a black portal appear high in the sky, spiraling up through it, letting Inuyasha fall to the ground.  
Kagome couldn't speak, her mouth covered by the tip of one large talon, and was futilely trying to budge it. The two disappeared, the portal too, leaving behind only the dark night sky.  
Inuyasha staggered up, clutching his side where one of the dragon's spikes had gone through. "Kagome?!" He yelled out, though, it was too late. He growled angrily as he ran, looking for any trace of the dragon and Kagome. He finally caught a glimpse of ebony scales catching the weak light, coming from a meadow nearby. Strange place for a dragon to live. Nevertheless, he ran towards the meadow.  
As he ran, he thought about what the dragon had said, and what really caught his attention were the dragon's last words. 'Before she is dead.' His heart pounded fasted as he quickened his pace. "Damn, I told her to go home today. And she didn't listen!" He said in between breaths. Kagome was thrown into the center of a large stone pit, resembling a demolished Greek arena, with columns surrounding the perimeter. The dragon lay down inside the oval, making a perfect ring around it with many meters of dragon left to spare. It watched her with cold, blue eyes, silent.  
"I don't even have the Jewel Shards with me, they're in my pack at Lady Kae-" Kagome put a hand to her side and felt a small glass bottle, or what used to be a small bottle and was now a bunch of glass splinters digging into her side. Oh no, I put the bottle in my pocket when I almost forgot it at home!!  
He nearly dropped to the ground in exhaustion when he reached the meadow, blood staining his left side. Breathing heavily, he kneeled down, trying to catch his breath, concealing himself behind the tall grass.  
After a few seconds, he pushed himself to move on and rescue Kagome before anything bad happened to her. "This is all my fault. If I had told her the real reason I wanted her to leave, maybe she would've been safe in her own time era right about now." He mumbled to himself, taking the full blame on himself.  
Up ahead, he spotted Kagome, along with the dragon. Slowly, he crept toward them, trying not to make a sound. He held the bow and an arrow close to him, getting ready to use it if he had to.  
"I am Natirozenu, sire of Ryukotsusei, and I know you have two Jewel Shards in your pocket, hand them over, now." He rumbled.  
"N-No! I... I-I'd rather eat them before I gave them to you!"  
Kagome clutched the Jewel Shards in her hands, now up on her feet, staring down the dragon, then became wide-eyed when the dragon chuckled.  
"Brave words little lady, though I'm afraid that's all they are. I'll make you eat them soon enough, your lover isn't going to be able to do much about it tonight anyway."  
He growled slightly, listening to the slight conversation the two of them had. Nocking an arrow to the bow, he aimed it at Natirozenu's head, before releasing it, sending it flying towards the dragon.  
He strained his eyes to see the arrow, hoping that it would hit in the correct spot and not miss. However, he knew his chances of a bulls eye were decreasing as he saw the arrow slow down a bit.  
Natirozenu looked lazily at the arrow flying towards him, and stopping it in the air. "So, you did come to save her. Foolish half-demon." He let the arrow drop, not caring that it fell before Kagome's feet. "If you two would just give me the Jewel Shards, I might just let you two leave in peace. That is, of course, if you don't take much longer, the night air is starting to whet my appetite."  
"Heh, over my dead body!" He called out loud. Putting a hand on the hilt of Tetsusaiga, he pulled it out. Of course, it was remained in its normal state, serving as little more than a piece of junk.  
In a desperate attempt to free Kagome, he plunged the Tetsusaiga in Natirozenu's body. As a distraction, he released another arrow towards him. Quickly, he grabbed Kagome by the hand, as well as puling the Tetsusaiga out of the dragon's side, covered in blood.  
He pulled Kagome, making a run for it, not wanting to look back. "See what you've done?! I told you to go home, but no, you had to insist on staying, didn't you?!" He spoke angrily, blaming this whole situation on her when it was partly his fault.  
Kagome had picked up the arrow, and risked a quick glance back at Natirozenu. His hide was regenerating rapidly where the Tetsusaiga had cut him.  
"No one escapes from me." He roared, leasing a black lightning stream from his mouth, blasting the two of them apart. He picked up Kagome in a paw, clenching her tightly, causing her to scream again.  
Inuyasha got up from the lightening that had sent him flying to the ground. His vision was blurry at first, but then it became clear, and he could see that Kagome had been captured by Natirozenu once again. "Let her go you stupid lizard!" He yelled at him as he ran towards him, slashing him viciously with Tetsusaiga, though the attack had little effect, since it wasn't in its powerful form. "Kagome!" He called out, as he still slashed at Natirozenu.  
Natirozenu sent Inuyasha flying with another blow from his tail. "THE SHARDS!" He rumbled.  
Kagome seemed to see in slow motion Inuyasha flying through the air, his body landing on the hard rubble inside the oval with a dull thud, causing her to bite her lower lip in worry. "Never!" In a rash, hasty decision, Kagome pushed the two shards into the skin of her forearm where she wouldn't drop them, then let their power flow through to the one arrow she held in her hand. I hope this works. She stabbed the arrow hard, down into the jewel shard she could see lying at the base of one claw right in front of her stomach.

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Remember, please review!


	3. Memories Better Left Forgotten

Yeah! Thanks for reviewing! (dances around happily) Ok, now that that's out of my system, here's the third installment, enjoy, and as always, review!

Natirozenu howled in pain, dissolving away in small black sparks. Kagome dropped from the air, catching in her hand the jewel shard she had struck and her arrow, landing neatly on the ground, standing up straight. She had a disdainful look on her face as she watched the bits of Natirozenu drift away. "It was just a puppet test from Naraku, Ryokotsusei's real sire would not have so easy to defeat."

InuYasha gave a slight nod. "Heh, I should of known." He said sheepishly. His normally keen hanyou senses were dulled in this mortal human form of his. Even so, he was determined to get back to the subject about her leaving. "Feh, see what I told you! If you had gone home like I asked, none of this would of happened!" He said in bitterness, still nagging her about going back, even though it was now virtually useless.

Kagome glanced at him, her eyes strangely cold, vaguely reminiscent of Kikyo's eyes. "Go home? Now? No, not when I've finally figured out why all you demons and half-demons crave the Shikon so very much. Power." She held out her forearm, revealing the two shards, glowing pink beneath the surface of her skin. "I was too naive to understand the wonderful sensation of power when the whole Shikon no Tama was around my neck. But now, everything has become so clear. You, InuYasha, are not telling me what to do anymore." She relieved him of her quiver and bow, then set off down the mountain.

His eyes widened. Had the Shikon jewel affected her mind? Without a moment to lose, he followed her quickly. "Kagome! Get those shards out of you arm right now!" He commanded, not wanting her to act this way. It wasn't quite, Kagome. She reminded him of Kikyo... too much of Kikyo... this wasn't the Kagome he knew speaking to him. Somehow that thought scared him more than facing a dozen Riyukotsuseis without his Tetsusaiga.  
InuYasha caught up to her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him. "Do as I say, now!" He shouted.

Kagome smiled frostily. "Sit boy."

The rosary beads around his neck glowed purple, responding to Kagome's command, sending Inuyasha slamming face first into the ground. He shakily rose to his feet, growling softly. It seemed that this time the command weakened him, since she had said it while he was still human, making the impact much stronger and more painful. "Kagome..." He said quietly, before dropping to his knees.

A knifelike sensation cut through Kagome at the sight of InuYasha dropping to his knees. "InuYasha!" She ripped the shards from her arm, kneeling by his side, slipping one of his arms over her shoulder to lend support.

InuYasha relaxed, noticing that Kagome was back to normal again. Though the pain that was starting to build up throughout his body was crushing, he ignored it and didn't care, as long as Kagome was safe. Slowly, he rose to his feet, leaning his weight on Kagome, trying not to lean on her too much.

Kagome rose with him, scooping up the three Jewel Shards and placing them in her pocket. No matter how much she hated having them near her again, it would be even worse to leave them behind for Naraku. She did her best to support him, walking extremely slowly weary without the shards to sustain her.

He turned his head to the side to look at her. "I'm glad you're ok Kagome." He said in a low, weak voice. He couldn't wait until he turned back into a half-demon, so he wouldn't have to feel the pain anymore.

"I'm glad you're all right too..." She smiled at him, and eventually they got back to the hut. She built up the fire again and forced InuYasha to lie down, going back to the spring to retrieve the bucket and fill it with water. When Kagome returned, she set about boiling the water adding different tea leaves down from Lady Kaede's stores. "Here Inuyasha." She pushed a steaming earthen mug of tea into his hands.

He sniffed the tea before putting the mug on the ground, pushing it away in decline. "I don't want it." He said stubbornly. Inuyasha sat into a sitting position, his gaze focused upon the dancing flames of the fire, glad to be near the warmth which soothed his aching body. He let out a sigh of contentment, shifting his gaze back to Kagome.

"Inuyasha... I didn't poison it. It will make you feel better." Kagome met his gaze, abruptly picking up the mug, some of its contents splashing onto her. She dropped the mug with a hiss of pain, clapping her right hand over her left forearm.

"Kagome! Are you all right?" He asked, pushing himself off the ground, now sitting right next to her. He picked up the mug, dusting the dirt off of it, before handing it to her, keeping his eyes on her, a bit worried and concerned.

"I-I'm fine." Kagome answered. "The hot water tea just stung the place where the shards were in my arm. I should be the one asking if you're ok." She went to place the mug with the other crockery that needed washing, and then set up a new cup of tea, holding it out to him. "Please drink this InuYasha. Please."

Something in Kagome's voice made him drink it. He grabbed the mug, as he brought it to his mouth, drinking every last drop of it. Setting the mug down, he stuck out his tongue, tasting the bitter aftertaste. However, soon enough, a pleasant warmth spread throughout his limbs and body, relaxing tense muscles and numbing the pain. He glanced to Kagome's arm, then back at her. "Are you sure...? You seemed like a whole different person with the shards in your arm." He said quietly.

At first, she acted like she hadn't heard the question. Kagome pulled her pack over, taking out the first aid kit and took out a linen cloth. She poured some of the hot water into a bowl, swirling it around to cool it off, then dipped the cloth into the now warm water. After wringing it out slightly she dabbed at Inuyasha's cuts and bruises. She moved his red hoari aside, and shifted his shirt to get access to his side wound where Natirozenu's tail spike had stabbed him, being especially gentle at wiping away the dirt and blood. Finishing, she took out a roll of linen bandages and wrapped it around his lower torso, and a few places on his arms and legs, then put it away, finished with her doctoring, and chose to answer his question.  
"I'll be fine. When I stuck the shards in my arm, it was of a rash decision, and that's why I changed. The power of the Shikon Jewel does not affect demons and half-demons as strongly as it does humans. It twists their reasoning. Even if I can purify the shards, when I aimed to use them, they responded to my wish. I'm... sorry... that I hurt you." This she said with much sincerity, looking away from him.

He looked down at the ground, listening to her words, a smile still lingering around his lips from watching her fuss over his wounds. Though he would never actually say it out loud, it was kind of... nice. After hearing her apology, he scooted closer to her, as if he was trying to bring her comfort. "It's ok Kagome... It was the shards' effect on you." He replied quietly. With that said, he turned his head, shifting his gaze over to her.

She flushed crimson when he came closer and said quickly, "It's been a long day, and we should both get some rest. I'm going to go change."  
Kagome got up and took her sleeping shift from her bag, going into Lady Kaede's room next door to change. "Idiot! Isn't that what you always wanted? To be close to him?" Demanded on voice in her head. "Not if it means breaking my heart again." Answered another. She leaned back against the cool wooden surface of the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. "I don't know what I want anymore." Kagome whispered to herself, so quietly that the words seemed to be little more than a puff of wind.

Even though those words were quiet, Inuyasha could still hear them. Kagome?" He called out in a quiet voice, before standing up and walking over to the room. "Kagome?" He called out once more. There, by the wall, he saw her. He uttered a soft sigh, walking over to her, and sitting right next to her. "Is there something wrong Kagome?" He asked softly.

"Nothing makes sense right now. Everything is... mixed up in my mind... When I had the Jewel Shards in my arm, I became corrupted, and forgot about everything I cared about, so everything was clear in my mind. I'm going for a walk." She got up and slipped on her shoes and a jacket over her night shift, going to stand by the door. "Don't try to come after me, those herbs in your tea should go into affect pretty soon and you're going to end up falling asleep on your feet. They're in there so that you will sleep and heal."

"No Kagome, I'm coming with you. I don't care if I fall asleep; I have to come with you." He said angrily, raising the volume of his voice. "Even if it means falling asleep in your arms!" After that comment, he paused, realizing what he had just said. He let his gaze drop to the ground in embarrassment. Kagome stared wide-eyed, thinking her ears must have played a trick on her, wondering, "Did he just say... what I think he said?"

"InuYasha... do you really mean that?"

He looked at her, quickly adverting his gaze to the ground again. He found that his voice didn't seem to be working properly after finding no sounds would issue from his mouth, so he settled for actions to do the talking for him. He gave a slight nod in response to Kagome's question.

"... oh... InuYasha..." Kagome came back in from standing near the door and hugged him gently, her chin resting on his shoulder, feeling the rough fire rat fur material of his hoari.

He tensed, feeling Kagome hugging him. Then he relaxed, putting his arms around her, returning the hug, relishing the feel of her silky black locks against his cheek. He tightened the hug, feeling the warmth of her body rubbing off on him.

"He's a lot more emotional when he's in his human form..." She thought. Kagome looked out of the window and saw the large treetop of the Sacred Tree in the distance. She froze, stiffening, her face draining of color and a chill suffusing her body. Like a small movie clip, a scene played out before her eyes. A girl in a white top and red hoari pants, her back against the base of the Sacred Tree, a hanyou half-demon boy with silver hair and dog's ears hugging her even as she beat against his back, bright soul catchers flying around them. Their voices were silent even as their lips moved, the conversation not coming through, but Kagome remembered what words were exchanged. The girl drew a dagger against the boy, soul-catchers lifting her up and disappearing into the night sky as the boy yelled after her, watching helplessly as she left. The boy turned to look at her with a steady gaze, eyes filled with comprehension...  
"NO!" Kagome turned her head and wrenched her eyes away from the window, pushing herself away from InuYasha and tearing across the room, scooping up her bow and quiver as well as a pile of clothing and the Jewel shards. She raced out into the night, crashing through the forest, running faster than she ever had with an adrenaline rush she had never experienced before, fading quickly out of sight. Kagome kept going even as her chest tightened, hoping the herbs would work soon, and that she could get away before the sun rose, seeing some of the stars of the night sky start to fade away.

Heehee, things are getting messy in the InuYasha universe! Tune in for the next chapter! Please review, especially you newcomers! For the two faithful members of my audience so far, I salute thee! (mock salutes)


	4. Inuyasha's Promise

Yeah! So many reviews!! Thank you everyone! To answer some of your questions... umm... let's see... oh, about the Shikon no Tama. I am basing Kagome's change due to what was said in the beginning of the Inuyasha storyline. The Shikon Jewel was coveted by demons for power and by humans to satisfy their wants. I interpreted that to mean that humans had to have some way of using the jewel, or the jewel had to have some effect on them or else their wants wouldn't have been fulfilled. After all, I don't all of them are just coveting the Shikon no Tama as a house ornament! And about the picking up the well, I am fixing it right now. Thanks for letting me know! Feel free to correct me everyone! As for the hoari, at first I had put kimono, but then I changed it to hoari because kimono's tend to be dresses... maybe not dresses, but without the pant legs... and a hoari... well, I know it's not that right either, but... can you really imagine Inuyasha running around in a kimono, or at least the stereotype kimono that is the first picture that pops into most people's minds? So, that's why I put it down as a hoari, or at least in later chapters. I must have forgotten to change that in the first chapter... so I am fixing it right now. I'm sorry for the cliffhangers, well not really.... But, anyway, I'm updating now, so enjoy! And please keep reviewing! Thank you!!!!  
  
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Inuyasha was startled by Kagome's sudden outburst, and the sudden chilly sensation that had radiated from her body. A look of worry and concern appeared upon his facial features. In attempt to give chase to her, and find out what was bothering her, he ran to the door. As soon as he did so, he started feeling a bit dizzy, and realized the herbs were now taking effect on him. "Kagome.. Wait.." He said in a drowsy voice, before dropping to his knees.  
  
His vision began to blur, causing him to shake his head, trying to see straight. He forced himself off the floor, leaning on his Tetsusaiga to help him walk, stumbling as he began to succumb to his drowsiness.  
Kagome ducked into a nearby cave to change, clenching her teeth when she saw she had accidentally grabbed a pile of Kikyo's clothes instead of her own. "Oh well, better than running around in this shift." She thought. After changing, she stashed her shift into a nook in the side of the cave, then checked to see that she had everything she needed. "Bow, Sacred Arrows, Jewel Shards in my pocket... That's everything. I hope this next part works..." She closed her eyes, stretching out her Sacred Aura link to reach the Sacred Tree, far from where she stood. She could see it in her mind's eye, beginning to glow blue under her influence. Kagome used the tree to branch her Aura out until she found the one person she was looking for... Kikyo.  
  
Kikyo turned from the meadow she was standing in. "What is this? Who is calling me?" Her soul catchers lifted her into the air, and flew her towards the source that was calling her. "Kagome!" He weakly called out, still using his Tetsusaiga as a prop to steady himself. He found himself on his knees again, breathing heavily, then pushed himself off the ground, struggling to move on. He didn't care if he got hurt in the process of finding Kagome, he was determined to make sure that she and safe and unharmed.He lost his grip on the Tetsusaiga, causing to him fall flat on his stomach leaning on his arms. Inuyasha continued to lay upon the ground, trying to catch his breath. Out of all his pain, there was only one thing on his mind, Kagome. Kagome panted with the effort of calling Kikyo, then watched as she stepped down in front of her from her soul catchers, which now wound about through the forest, with their shining lights like little beacons in the darkness. "Well, congratulations, I see you've learned a new trick." Commented Kikyo lightly in her always chilly voice. She looked Kagome up and down. "I see you've changed your wardrobe. Much more sensible than that short kimono you always insisted on wearing."  
  
Kagome bit back any retort, then said clearly, "I want a truce. I'll help you in your quest to give Naraku all the Jewel Shards if I can help and speed up the process."  
  
Inuyasha leaned his entire weight upon the Tetsusaiga, noticing the bright soul catchers, thinking, "Kikyo is nearby... what if Kagome's with her?!" Hearing slight voices in the distance, he picked up his pace in alarm, pushing back the brush until he found Kagome and Kikyo.  
  
Once in the small clearing, Inuyasha blinked at the sight of them. Kagome? With Kikyo? He couldn't tell which was which with his blurred vision, both of them were wearing the same clothes. He urged himself on, determined to find out what was going on, soon. "Kagome?" He called out as he approached her, vision clear enough to see that it was indeed her. Inuyasha couldn't prop himself up anymore, and dropped down to his knees, looking up at her, as his vision once again started to blur.  
  
"Inuyasha?!" Kagome turned at the sound of her name being said by Inuyasha. "You're not supposed to be here!"  
  
Kikyo quirked her eyebrows. "An abandoned tryst I see? It doesn't matter, because no, I shall not hold a truce with you. However, those Shards in your pocket would prove useful to me. I shall take them." She nocked an arrow to her bow and let it fly at Kagome, smiling faintly when it scratched the surface of her arm, near where the Jewel Shards were, causing Kagome to grab her forearm in pain, gritting her teeth. "Ahh.. so you put them in your own arm at one point.. foolish girl, I can't believe that you are the reincarnation of me." He gave his head a hard shake, trying to make his vision clear again, though it only made it worse. "Kagome?" He called out again weakly, hearing the conversation going on around him, the herbs making him unable to process what was happening. "Not so fast." Kagome, quickly recovering, let fly one of her one arrows, radiating a pink aura instead of blue, going past Kikyo's head and slaying one of her soul collectors. "I can't believe I wasted my energy in calling you here. Leave, before I destroy all the others too." Kikyo only smiled a bit and called her soulcatchers to her, fading into the sky.  
  
"Now I have to go back... I feel so guilty now..." Kagome looked about and found some wild sorrel, of which she stripped of a few leaves. She walked over to Inuyasha and popped them in his mouth. "Chew, these will make you wake up." Without hesitating, he chewed the leaves, the fresh lemony taste and smell clearing his senses. His vision became clear and now he could process everything around him. He still felt a bit dizzy though. He slowly got up, shifting his gaze to Kagome. "What are you doing Kagome?" He asked, noticing the clothes that she were wearing.  
  
"I'm trying to get this over with sooner. I tried to work out a truce with Kikyo and help her in her quest, and finally end all of this mess. But, it only got me this." She pointed to a long scratch on her left forearm from the arrow. Noticing him looking at her clothes, she said sheepishly. "I grabbed the wrong pile of clothes when I ran out."  
  
He glanced to the scratch on Kagome's forearm, then growled softly at her. "You wanted to work out a truce with Kikyo. I understand that. But working with her won't end this mess. It'll only make it bigger." He said quietly, adverting his gaze to the ground. "Don't ever make me worry like that." He stated bluntly, glancing up at her.  
  
Kagome answered sharply. "Since when do you worry about me? And since when will working with her make everything become a mess? I thought for sure you'd be happy to work with her." She spat out. "I'm going to go home, next thing we know Naraku will show up and mistake me for Kikyo. And with Onigumo's heart, we both know what kind of disaster that will make."  
  
He glanced down to the ground again, clenching his hands into fists down at his sides as he tried to ignore the pain that Kagome's words had again caused. "Since every time I had to come and rescue you from some sort of demon! That's when I worry about you!" He replied, raising the volume of his voice. "I was having a relaxing time with you at the hut until you had to ruin it and run away. You know what? I don't care! Go ahead! Leave!" He shouted at her.  
  
Kagome felt a tear slip down her cheek as she ran away, leaving her bow and quiver behind on the ground, her jacket in a heap underneath the ledge where her night shift was. Her feet practically flew over the ground in her haste to get away. She jumped down the well and slammed open the doors of the temple shrine, running over to the Sacred Tree and flung her arms around it, not bothering to keep her tears in check anymore, sobbing. She got up and shook her head, wiping her tears away on the sleeve of Kikyo's shirt, going to find the box of charms underneath her bed. She took out one long scroll, meant for use as a seal against those with demon blood. Kagome went back outside, laying the scroll over the crack between the hatches of the well's cover, pushing the three Jewel Shards into the side's of the scroll for extra security, though whether or not the Shards would strengthen the scroll, she did not know. However, the scroll's magic was strong enough to keep Inuyasha from coming to her time, and the shards were just there for her own peace of mind. Inuyasha wouldn't be able to get through now. Somehow that thought didn't comfort her as much as she thought it would.  
  
He felt a sharp pain slice through his heart, when saw the tears that welled up in Kagome's warm brown eyes. "Kagome! Don't go! I didn't mean it." He called out after her. He ran after her in chase, attempting to get her back.  
  
However, he was too late, seeing that she had already jumped inside of the well. He peered over the edge of the well, looking deep inside of it. He could sense a strange barrier in the portal of the well, something he knew wouldn't let him past. The sensation was strong, and he hadn't noticed it before. He figured out that Kagome probably sealed up the well on the other side. "Kagome..." He said softly, as he sat down next to the well, leaning his back against it. He uttered a deep sigh, staring at the ground in guilt and shame.  
  
"So, the rumors I hear are true. You're forgetting your promise to me Inuyasha." Kikyo said, walking out from the shadows of the trees.  
  
He was startled a bit from Kikyo's voice that broke the awkward silence. "What promise?" He asked stupidly, though, he knew perfectly well what promise she was talking about. He took a quick glance at her, before adverting his gaze away, looking at nothing in particular.  
  
"You know what promise I'm talking about Inuyasha. You promised to protect me from everything, and you declared you would always love me. You said your life was mine, and mine was yours. You're breaking that promise Inuyasha. Is she worth it?" Kikyo asked, her cold eyes glittering. "I know what she did Inuyasha, she put those Jewel Shards in her arm. Foolish girl. I can see on your face what happened."  
  
He narrowed his amber eyes at her, giving her a rather cold glare. "I know that she did. But she did it to protect me." He struggled getting the words out of his mouth. "As you can see, I'm human right now." He added, adverting his gaze to the starry sky, in which it held the new moon. "Yes... Kagome's worth it. I owe her my life." He said quietly, struggling with these words as well. After these words were spoken, he glanced down at the ground.  
  
"... I see Inuyasha. Enjoy your time now, because I intend on holding you to your promise when this is all over. Promises should not be made lightly, and I shall not forget your promise anytime soon." Kikyo called her soul catchers, rising into the sky, leaving Inuyasha by the well.  
  
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There are a couple things I thought I should say. One, it's another cliffhanger!! Two, my chapters are getting progressively longer... Three, I don't actually know if sorrel has properties to wake someone up, but I DO know that it DOES have a sweet lemony flavor! For lack of herb or wild plant that would wake someone up, I used sorrel. And four... remember to review! Thank you!!! 


	5. Confessions

Hey, thanks for reviewing, I hope you like this latest chapter. Yes, Ganheim, thanks for alerting me to that tidbit about the shards. I have not been able to see EVERY single episode of Inuyasha, and that's why I missed that bit. I'm just alerting everyone beforehand, in the next chapter, Kikyo will probably OOC... I'm sorry... The way she is portrayed and her actions are what I imagined to be able to happen in the situation of this fanfic, and once again, if she doesn't seem quite right, and if the things she does are not things she would usually do, I apologize again, and repeat it was just my interpretation of her actions in this type of situation. Please enjoy! And I'm sorry if anyone is a bit OOC in this chapter too!

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Inuyasha watched Kikyo's silent departure, without saying a word of good- bye. Uttering a soft sigh, he turned toward the well, peering into it once more. He hoped to see Kagome arriving back from her time era, but instead, he saw nothing but cold darkness. He turned his back to the well again, leaning on it. Inuyasha then realized how much he missed the company of the young girl, about whom he pretended he didn't care about, her actions even less so, and also pretended he didn't need her help to hunt down the Jewel Shards. Either way, he needed her, which he couldn't bring himself to admit.

Kagome's eyes fluttered open, staring up at the whitewashed walls of her room, the bright sunlight illuminating everything. Looking over at her calendar she saw it was Monday, a school day. She blearily got out of bed, changing into a different set of school clothes then brushed her teeth and went down to breakfast, deep bags under her eyes from only getting a few hours of sleep. Her mother was making pancakes on the stove while her brother, Sota, sat at the kitchen table, wolfing a tall stack of pancakes down. Her grandfather was probably out lighting incense sticks at the family shrine. Kagome sat down, sighing as she thought about Inuyasha, Kikyo and the Jewel Shards. The thoughts were scattered as a large plate of pancakes was plopped in front of her. "Eat up." Said her mother cheerily, smiling. Kagome smiled weakly, and managed to eat one or two, then pushed the plate away. "I'm not hungry' I'm just going to go to school." Her mother shot a worried glance her way, but sensed she didn't want to talk or explain why she was in a down mood. "All right, have a nice day, dear."

The sound of chattering birds awoke Inuyasha, getting rudely awakened with a blast of bright sunshine to his eyes. With a tired yawn, he rubbed his eyes, which were getting adjusted to the sunlight. He noticed his claws, fangs and silver hair were back, meaning all his wounds were gone. Gathering his thoughts, Kagome came to his mind. He perked his ears, glancing back at the well, and looking all around him for a sign of Kagome having come back. When he spotted that she wasn't here and found none of her tracks or a whiff of her telltale scent in the air, he let out a depressed sigh. "She must really be mad at me..." He said quietly to himself. "If only she didn't seal the well, I would have jumped into that well myself and went to get her." He continued, still talking to himself. Inuyasha wouldn't admit it, but he missed Kagome very much.

Kagome's grandpa wandered into the building where the well was, noticing Kagome's use of the scroll and the Jewel shards. "Hmm, what could that girl be doing? She knows perfectly well that no one can come after her but Inuyasha. Ahh well, she must have had a scare from some demon yesterday and sealed the well just in case. I'll remove it for her, that girl needs to learn to face her fears." He peeled the scroll off of the well's cover and went back into the house, placing it on her desk.

Kagome was walking to school alone that day, she was really early, so none of her friends were on the path there yet. "Hey Kagome, are you feeling better?" A pleasant voice asked her. Kagome stopped to see Hojo standing next to her and smiled. "Hi Hojo, yeah, I'm feeling better." Wondering, "I wonder what weird disease my family diagnosed me with this time... it's a wonder I still have friends..."

Inuyasha growled, disappointed in himself. He shouldn't be moping around waiting for nothing. He rose to his feet, dusting the dirt off of his clothes, then turned, facing the well. "Feh, barrier or no barrier, here goes nothing." He said finally, before jumping into the well.  
He arrived in Kagome's time era, looking up from inside the well. So the well wasn't sealed, or perhaps it was. He climbed to the top of the well then smacked the hatch with his fist, watching the doors fly open. "Someone must have taken off the seal." He thought. Climbing out of the well, he sniffed the air, smelling Kagome's scent not too far away.

Kagome sat in her class after being welcomed back by her classmates and having to pretend to know every detail about the latest disease of hers. This time it was some weird case where she went blind and deaf at the same time. "I swear, Sota must be the one making all this up." She thought. She was in health class right now, and they were studying about people with disabilities. "Kagome? Kagome???" "Huh?" Kagome looked up to see the teacher looking at her.

The teacher sighed. "Kagome, I just asked if you could tell the class about your experience being blind and deaf at the same time, it would be helpful for our study of this unit to hear from someone with firsthand experience of being disabled. Kagome sweat dropped. "Umm... I don't really want to talk about it; I get creeped out just thinking of what it felt like." "Please Kagome; I must insist that you try. If you can't, then I won't force you."

Kagome stood up at the head of the class, thinking "All right, here goes nothing..."

He was about to go out of the shrine, but paused, thinking that it wouldn't be such a good idea to venture out into Kagome's time era, without wearing something proper to cover his ears, which might attract unwanted attention. With that statement pointed out, he sat back down on the edge of the well, deciding to wait for her instead. He let out a sigh, feeling boredom taking over him, his head eventually nodding forward onto his chest, falling into a light doze as hours passed by.

Sota wandered around the Temple grounds, getting out from school earlier than Kagome did. He noticed the doors of the shrine containing the well were slightly ajar, so he went to investigate. Opening the doors wide, he saw Inuyasha sitting on the side of the well.

Inuyasha's ears twitched as he heard someone enter the room, opening his eyes, awakening from his dose. He was surprised to see it was Kagome's brother. "Huh?" He bluntly stated, almost falling back in the well, surprised by Sota's sudden appearance.

Kagome had arrived back home from school, walked over to the Sacred Tree to relax in its shade while doing her homework.

"Hi Inuyasha, are you looking for Kagome? She just got back from school; she's right outside, by the Sacred Tree." Sota took Inuyasha's hand and led him outside.

He followed Sota outside of the shrine, seeing Kagome underneath the Sacred Tree. He paused in his tracks, feeling a sense of warmth flooding his senses. "Kagome?" He said softly, taking a step forward.

Kagome looked up from her textbook, her face turning pale at the sight of Inuyasha standing there with Sota, her mind racing, "How did he get through the well!?!?!? Grandpa must have taken the scroll off, I'll kill him later..." "Sota, mom wants your help with something, she asked me to tell you. She wants you to go... now." Sota looked puzzled at first since he knew their mom was out shopping, but he then looked back and forth between Kagome and Inuyasha and got the hint. "Ok sis, I'll see you later." He walked back to the house.

He watched Sota leave, seeming to take an eternity, before turning his gaze to Kagome. He turned his gaze to the ground, trying to avoid looking into her eyes. "Uhh... Hi?" He said stupidly, since that was the only word he would get out of his mouth at this moment.  
He took a deep breath, before taking another step towards her. He glanced up to the Sacred Tree, as the memory of Kikyo pinning him to this tree came to mind. He shook his head, trying to erase that thought.

Kagome said nothing, glancing up at the spot on the tree Inuyasha was looking at, listening to the leaves up in the Sacred Tree's boughs rustle soothingly in the wind. The hole where Kikyo's arrow had pinned Inuyasha to the tree had long faded after 500 years, though she too, could still see it in her mind. She looked back at Inuyasha, keeping her gaze steady, choosing to remain silent.He tensed slightly, as his gaze met hers. He tried to look away again, but something in Kagome's eyes prevented him from doing so.  
With a shuddering breath, he hesitantly took a slow step forward, as he couldn't find any words to confront her with."I'm assuming you didn't just come here to stare, Inuyasha." Kagome said curtly, looking down at the pages of her chemistry textbook, flipping through her homework pages as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. However, her hands shook slightly, not noticeable to the casual observer, and her eyes were growing shiny, small tear drops starting to collect on the fringes of her eyelashes.Inuyasha glanced down to the ground, listening to Kagome's words, which were true. He then shifted his gaze back to her, noticing the teary eyed looked that she had. "Kagome..." He said quietly, almost in a whisper, as he took another step towards her and another, until he was right in front of her.  
His eyes softened as his gaze met hers. He tried to ignore the emotion that was building up from inside of him, though, he failed to do so. He let out a sigh, before opening his mouth to speak, but then he closed it, finding that words could not escape him. He just stood there stupidly, staring into Kagome's watery eyes."Kagome? Kagome, are you here?" Kagome looked away from Inuyasha to see Hojo standing near the gate to the temple. "Hojo? Why are you here?" She brushed her eyes on the side of her sleeve then got up to meet him.His ears perked, hearing a voice of another. His head turned to the direction of where Hojo was standing as a low growl was emitted from jealousy. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides, watching Kagome get up and walk over to the boy.Kagome opened the gate, letting Hojo in. He began, "Hi, I noticed you left your math textbook and I know that you need it for our homework tonigh..." He stopped as he saw Kagome's red eyes and dark patch on her sleeve that looked as if it had been stained with tears. Hojo also saw behind her Inuyasha, who was strange enough with his red hoari and bare feet, though what truly made his eyes open wide was the long silver hair and ears. He looked back and forth between Kagome and Inuyasha, and then put two and two together. "Kagome... he... he didn't make you cry, did he?" When Kagome didn't answer, his blood boiled over. He walked right over to Inuyasha and demanded, "How could you make Kagome cry? What kind of insensitive jerk are you?!"He gave a low growl at the outburst of Hojo. "Feh, you do you think you are?! Get out of my face before I hurt you!" He threatened, as he continued his growling. His ears perked, as he listened to Hojo's comment about Kagome crying. He looked over to Kagome. "Kagome?" He said yet again in another quiet tone.Kagome ran over and grabbed Hojo by the arm, pushing him out of the temple, saying quickly, "I'm rehearsing for a little play we're putting on for the children in the hospital who are getting surgeries and have serious medical conditions, with that guy in COSTUME, he's my partner and I got upset because I couldn't get the scene right. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, thanks for my math textbook, BYE!!" Kagome closed the gates hurriedly in Hojo's face. He was a little skeptical about Kagome's story, but odd things always seemed to happen to her, so he went home in content, not thinking a second thought about what just happened, saying aloud to no one in particular, "I hope Kagome's play goes well."Kagome slumped against the wall near the gate, exhaling in relief at a disaster avoided.

He growled softly to himself, as he put his arms in the sleeves of his hoari. "Good riddance." He muttered under his breath as he watched Hojo's quick departure. He then adverted his gaze to Kagome, tilting his head to the side a little, a bit confused why she cried. Determined to find out, he slowly made his way towards her, before he sat next to her in his usual dog like position. "So... What's with the tears?" He asked stupidly.

"Hojo was right about one thing... you are insensitive... you really have no idea WHY I'm upset?!?!?" Kagome cried out, tears welling up in her eyes again.

He blinked, seeing tears starting gather in her eyes. "What? How am I supposed to know?! You're the one who left before I could even get a chance to talk to you!" He retorted, wincing when he said it in a harsher tone than was necessary.

Kagome sighed, leaning back against the cool shaded stone to look over at the Sacred Tree, its upper branches waving in the breeze, a symbol of peace, wisdom, and revelation. Her tears stopped coming, and she knew what she had to say, no matter what the consequences, feeling the light realization of her destined words and actions as she did before. "That one day, a while ago, that day when Kikyo was being pursued by the giant soul catcher, the day you rescued her and proclaimed your bond to her, and your promise to follow her into hell... That's the day I knew for sure how I felt about you. I remember I told you the day I came back, that we both had a strong desire to be with you. Hers is spawned from revenge and hate, from her desire to claim you, the thing she lost 50 years ago through Naraku's treachery... even if she no longer cares for you like she did 50 years ago, she still feels possessive towards you, and thus claimed your life, and you, who still feel for her, claimed her own life. And I... yes, I still desire to be with you, though I, with my entire soul and life to live before me in a body not made of clay, my emotions, are not spawned from hate, jealousy or possessiveness, but rather entirely the opposite... and... well... I guess you could say that's part of the reason I am upset today..."

Kagome stopped speaking, a small, sad smile playing about the corners of her mouth, fingers running over the worn edges of her math textbook.

Slight twitching came from his ears, listening to everyone of Kagome's confession to him. He glanced to the ground as she brought up the mention of Kikyo. Pushing her away from his mind, he continued to listen to her. "Opposite of hate?" He thought to himself, shifting his gaze back to Kagome. She desired to be with him? His eyes widened a bit at the confession. Inuyasha always thought that Kagome was only with him to gather the jewel shards, and her previous mention of her desire to be with him was based on the shards. He thought that when the day the Shikon no Tama was finally back in safe hands, Kagome would long to go back to her own time era, away from Inuyasha and his bitter attitude.

He looked over to the Sacred tree, as memories of the past began to flood his mind. With one gentle shake of his head, he got rid of the thoughts, only for them to return to his mind once again. "Fifty years ago... She risked her life for me... It's only the right thing to do, to repay her with my own." He said in a rather quiet tone, trying to choose his words carefully. "I like being with you too Kagome. When I'm with you... I feel at peace..." He added, letting his gaze drop to the ground once more.

Kagome nodded slightly, her sad smile now mirrored in her eyes, though they were dry, as she had willed herself to not cry anymore. "Yes... she not only risked her life, she died..." She said quietly, while in her mind, she thought, "It wasn't for you she died, it was because of Naraku she died, while protecting the Sacred Jewel... it was his artifice that caused her to die... and the thing that has caused fate to deal me this cruel hand.... No, that is not true, it is only my destiny that I walk down this path, and it is destiny that Kikyo and Inuyasha should be together, just as they were 50 years ago, although things have changed since then. I have to uphold the law of destiny and fate as the High Priestess, Guardian of the Shikon No Tama..."

She continued out loud to Inuyasha. "Don't fret over this Inuyasha; it's destiny's hand that guides us, not our own will. We'll always be friends." Kagome got up and went over to her backpack, tearing a sheet of paper out from one of her notebooks and taking a pen from a pocket in her bag. She used the textbook as a writing surface, quickly writing out a message to Sango, Miroku, and Shippo. She then went inside the house to get an envelope and sealed the letter and the three jewel shards on her desk inside, then used another demon blocking charm on the envelope, writing the kanji on the outside in ink.

Going back over to Inuyasha, she handed it to him. "I want you to give this to Sango, Miroku and Shippo. It's for them only; the charm on it won't allow you to open it. I have a test tomorrow; I'll come back after that. You go first, they'll have returned to Lady Kaede's village by now." She led him over to the well, keeping a smile pasted on her face as she went to make sure Inuyasha left to the feudal era.

Inuyasha tilted his head as he glanced down to the envelope in his hands, his eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion, before bringing it up by his ear and shaking it. His ears perked, hearing the clicking sound of the jewel shards.  
"Kagome... Why are you giving these to Miroku and Sango? You know you can't travel back without these. It doesn't make any sense." He commented, shaking the envelope in front of her face. "Unless of course... you're meaning to stay here and never come back..."Kagome bit her lip. "Inuyasha, I had hoped I wouldn't need to use this, but I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry, good-bye... Inuyasha..." Kagome pressed her fingertips to her lips and reached out, gently brushing them against his cheek. She then held up the demon barrier scroll she had placed over the well before and walked slowly forward, the demon repelling energies of the scroll forcing Inuyasha backward until he toppled backward into the well.  
  
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I hope you liked it! I know the scroll thing was a little odd... Please review and don't flame me in the next chapter! 


	6. Choose, Inuyasha

Sorry it's taken such a long time to post this!! Gomen! Gomen!! I've been so busy with finals and Regents and state tests... well, anyway, this is the latest installment, I'm sorry if anyone is a bit OOC, especially Kikyo.... But, after the latest episode with Kikyo and the Dark Priestess, I can't be so sure that she's so very OOC anymore... Anyway, enjoy!  
  
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Inuyasha looked up towards the narrow square of blue sky as he found himself sitting at the bottom of the well. Apparently, he had arrived in the feudal era. Putting his left hand up to his cheek where Kagome's fingers had brushed him with a kiss from her lips, he glanced to the envelope that was still in his right.

"Kagome... She can't travel back with the shards in this letter..." He said quietly to himself, as he stared at the white paper. He jumped out of the well, landing on the soft grass, sitting on the wooden side of the well, giving a low growl at Kagome's stubbornness.  
"You want to give this to Miroku and Sango so bad, do it yourself!" He shouted at Kagome, though the rational part of his mind knew she could not hear him. Inuyasha didn't take a second look at the envelope before throwing behind him, down into the well.

Kagome was sitting on the edge of the well, her face covered with tear trails again, as it seemed she had not cried herself out, when an item came whizzing through the air and struck her on the head. She winced, then saw the object had come from the well and that it was the envelope she had sent with Inuyasha. "...." She let it lie on the ground then shifted her position, sitting on the hard-packed dirt floor, resting her head and arms on the edge of the well, and fell asleep.

"Inuyasha? Inuyasha!" Called a man's voice. Miroku walked over towards the well, his movements a bit slow and awkward, faint half-circles under his eyes. "Inuyasha, we're back, Lady Kaede is too, she wants to see yo-... Wait, where's Kagome?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched, hearing his name being called. He turned around, seeing Miroku. He gave a snort as he turned back around, still sitting on the edge of the well. "She's in her own time era." He answered abruptly, before letting out a soft sigh, and continuing, "Kaede? Feh, what does that old hag want from me?" He questioned sullenly.

"The old hag just has something to ask you." Miroku sat down heavily on the opposite side of the well as Inuyasha, shuddering slightly as his sore body changed from its upright position. Inuyasha, with his back to Miroku, didn't notice. "Inuyasha... why is Kagome in her own era? Why didn't she come back with you? Did you two fight again?"

Inuyasha rose to his feet, slowly walking towards the village. "Feh, I prefer not to talk about it. Now let's see what that old hag wants." He said, not looking over his shoulder at Miroku, knowing the look on his face would give his slightly guilty conscience away.

"Kagome! Kagome! You're back!" Came a little voice, shouting as Miroku and Inuyasha neared the village. Shippo was running down the path, thinking that Kagome was coming back with Miroku and Inuyasha. He launched himself into the air, closing his eyes in glee and landed in Inuyasha's arms, stretched out in reflex. Shippp gave him a tight hug, then froze still, opening his eyes and took in the red hoari instead of white shirt in front of his eyes. He leapt away, blanching. "You're not Kagome!!! Where's Kagome?! She's supposed to be here!!!"

Inuyasha blinked as he felt Shippo tightly hug him. He growled softly at the little fox, restraining himself from beaning Shippo in the head, brushing imaginary germs and dirt off his red hoari. "Heh, Kagome is not coming back." He said, narrowing his eyes at Shippo. Though, he wished that his words weren't true, for he longed for Kagome to be with him again. He hoped the shards went through the well, and she would come back...

Shippo opened his eyes wide and his lower lip started to tremble. "K- kagome's not... not COMING BACK?!?!?" He started to sob little boy sobs, covering his eyes with his small hands, sitting down right in the middle of the path as tears streamed down his face.

Miroku sighed and bent down, picking up Shippo gently. "You didn't have to say it so abruptly Inuyasha... Now come on, Lady Kaede is waiting."

When they reached the hut, Miroku led Inuyasha inside, to where Lady Kaede was sitting on the floor with a cloth covering a heap lying on the floor next to her. Inuyasha slowly walked toward Kaede. He took a quick glance at the objects that were covered by the cloth. A look of confusion and curiosity filled his features as he adverted his gaze to Kaede.

He stopped in his tracks, standing a few inches away from her. "Well, what is it that you want to tell me? Miroku made it sound important. I'm listening." He stated dully, awaiting Kaede's response.

Lady Kaede whisked the cloth away, revealing Kagome's pile of clothing, night shift, jacket, yellow backpack, and her bow and quiver lying on the floor next to her. "I wished to speak to ye of this. What is the meaning of this, Inuyasha? Why were Kagome's things left strewn in a cave and on the forest floor? Why isn't she here now?"

His eyes widened as he stared at Kagome's belongings, feeling his heart rate increase. He looked away before speaking. "I don't know..." He said stiffly. "She... wanted to work with Kikyo to collect the jewel shards." He added in, as if that could justify all his actions in the past few hours, as he shifted his gaze back to her.

Lady Kaede appeared unmoved. "Was there not a reason for her decision to work with Kikyo? Somehow I do not think it worked out well between my sister and Kagome, and that you know where she is now, Inuyasha. Tell me."

Sango was roused from her nap by the slight conversation, looking worse for the wear, bandaged all over. She got up blearily and took Shippo from Miroku, drying his eyes and stroking his head gently, avoiding the bandaged area on his head, murmuring soothing words to him. Miroku shifted his left arm and it was revealed to be bandaged underneath his midnight blue robes. Obviously something had happened while they were gone, and Kohaku had not been recovered.

"Kagome... She is in her own time era." He replied to Kaede's last comment, avoiding the first one. He looked at Sango, then to Miroku, as well as Shippo, noticing the bandages before shifting his gaze back to Kaede. "What happened to them?" He asked, his voice carrying a bit of worry.

"They were in a scuffle with Naraku's poison insects." Lady Kaede replied, laying Kagome's clothing and other possesions away. "Will Kagome be coming back anytime soon?"

Hearing Kaede's question, he turned his back to her, crossing his arms. "I don't know and I could care less." He said bitterly, trying to hide that he did care, the only reason he turned his back to her because he was trying to hide the emotion that showed through his eyes.

Lady Kaede shook her head. She knew what had gone on, she could see it through the turmoil in his eyes. Some situation had gone on between Kikyo and Kagome, and when a truce failed to be formed, Kagome forced Kikyo to leave before taking the Jewel Shards. Inuyasha, upset, must have said something to upset Kagome, causing her to leave to her own time. That's what always seemed to happen.

Kagome woke up to see the night sky outside of the temple, the waning gibus moon casting a weak light over the ground. Putting her hand out beside her, she felt the envelope on the floor and picked it up, recalling what had happened that afternoon. "I guess I should go give this letter to them, and say good-bye..." Kagome climbed into the well and reappeared in the feudal era, looking up at the stars when she got out of the well. A hand clamped over her mouth, preventing her from screaming, and an arm held her arms to her sides, dragging her away into the forest.

A breeze swept through the open window, and his ears perked, as his keen sense of smell caught the scent of Kagome. "Kagome's back?" He said out loud to himself.

"Inuyasha! Come quick!" Shouted Miroku. When Inuyasha came to the doorway, he pointed to the floating lights over in the Forest of Inuyasha, easily seen in the darkness of the night. "Soul catchers, Kikyo is back."

His ears laid flat on his head, hearing what Miroku just told him. "What?!" He said, as if he couldn't believe what he just heard. Though, it was true. On the breeze, he could smell Kikyo's scent. His eyes widened, smelling Kikyo and Kagome's scent mixed together, surely, this wasn't a good sign.

"Kagome's back?!" Shippo shouted. He struggled out of Sango's grasp and leapt down to the ground, sprinting down the path towards the glowing lights.

"No! Shippo, come back!" Sango shouted, yet the little fox demon continued determinedly running towards Kagome. "He won't stop until he finds her... she's like the mother he never had... the only family he has left, even if she is only his surrogate mother..." She stopped for a second, remembering her only family, then shook her head. "Miroku, go after him, I'll be right there."

The monk nodded, and started to run off, then stopped, and turned around, saying with concern on his face, "Sango, you should stay here, you were hurt the worst."

"No, Kagome is in trouble if Kikyo's back. She could have died last time, I can't stay here. Kirara, take Miroku to Shippo quickly, then take them both to where Kagome and Kikyo are. Make sure to stay out of sight."

Kirara growled affectionately, rubbing her head against Sango's outstretched palm, then transformed into her larger form, kneeling for Miroku to get on, then ran after Shippo towards the Forest of Inuyasha.

Sango was already in her demon slayer clothes, and went inside the hut to grab her Hiraikotsu, stopping to listen to Lady Kaede wish her well. Before she went to follow after Kirara, she stopped at the doorway to speak to Inuyasha. "Well? Are you coming? Even if you feel more for Kikyo and not Kagome, you still should come, just in case Naraku or one of his minions show up."

She set off after saying this, running at a slower pace than she usually did due to her wounds, yet still disappearing from sight rather quickly as she reached the dark forest.

"Inuyasha, if ye do choose to follow, take Kagome this. It may prove useful to her, should anything happen." Lady Kaede held out Kagome's bow and quiver.

He turned to Kaede, looking down at Kagome's bow and quiver. With a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the items and ran in the direction that Miroku and the others went off to find Kagome. He stopped first in front of Sango once he reached her within the tree line, kneeling on the ground, his back to her, as if he was asking her to get on.

"Feh, you'll be dead before you even reach Kagome in your condition." He said gruffly, an undertone in his voice showing concern and worry for his friend.

Sango paused for a moment before clambering up onto his back awkwardly. She placed one hand on his shoulder to keep her balance and used the other to hold her Hiraikotsu on her shoulder. After getting settled, she nodded to Inuyasha, letting him know he could go.

He gave a quick nod in response to Sango as he took off, growing desperate to find Kagome. He knew that searching for her on ground wouldn't help as much. He jumped into the air, leaping from tree to tree in search of her.  
  
His heart raced as he spotted a faint glow in the distance. "Hold on Sango." He warned his friend, as he picked up the pace, leaping a bit faster towards the glow.

Kagome found herself bound by the waist, wrists and ankles, spread-eagled to the Sacred Tree with a glowing blue cord, a gag tied around her mouth. She hung there helplessly, watching Kikyo pace around the moonlit clearing impatiently, as if waiting for someone.

Kikyo turned and saw that Kagome had woken up. "You've awoken. You won't be visible to Inuyasha or any other of your would be rescuers." Kikyo waved a hand and caused Kagome to be rendered invisible to all others who would come. She settled herself down on a rock as she waited, her soul catchers occasionally bringing her some souls to strengthen her clay body.

Kagome struggled at her bonds, then sighed inwardly when she saw her efforts were futile and drooped downward, then winced and making a muffled cry as the cord cut into her wrists.

Miroku sat with Kirara and Shippo in the brush, having arrived in time to see Kikyo render Kagome invisible. Shippo gasped then growled menacingly when he saw Kagome disappear and heard her muffled cry. "Let's go rescue her, Kikyo is hurting Kagome!"

"No, we have to wait for Sango, and Inuyasha if he comes. We don't stand a chance on our own, especially if Kikyo uses her Sacred Arrows against us."

Inuyasha jumped down from the trees, landing softly upon the ground. There, he spotted Miroku and Shippo hiding in the bush. Slowly, he set Sango down gently. He made his way towards the Miroku, looking past the bush at Kikyo. "Where's Kagome, Miroku?" He asked the monk, glancing around.

"Kikyo has Kagome tied up to the Sacred Tree, and has cast a spell over her so that none of us can see her. Listen, you should go in and confront Kikyo; figure out what it is she wants. The rest of us will try to get Kagome free." Suggested Miroku, already starting to get up.

Inuyasha looked over to Miroku, listening carefully. He gave a nod in response as he stepped out of the bushes, making his way towards Kikyo. Inuyasha stopped in his tracks a couple of feet away from her. He searched for words to say to her. "Where's Kagome?!" He asked, raising the volume of his voice.

"It doesn't matter. This isn't about her. This is about us." Kikyo walked over to Inuyasha, stepping close until there wasn't a foot length's of space left between them. She placed her hands on his shoulders, looking up into his eyes. "Don't you love me anymore, Inuyasha?" She asked, dropping her head, letting his chin rest on top.

Kagome flinched at the sight of Kikyo so close to Inuyasha. It reminded her all too much of the time she had kissed him, and the more recent time Inuyasha hugged her at the Sacred Tree. "Just because I've allowed destiny to make me give Inuyasha up... Doesn't mean I can stand watching him be claimed by someone else..." She thought, closing her eyes and looking away. She struggled against her bonds again, trying to break the spell with her own powers, but found she couldn't, Kikyo being much more adept than she was.

"Kagome?" Whispered a voice, a hand touching hers. Kagome opened her eyes and turned as much as she could in the direction of the voice, seeing Miroku's face. "Let me try and free you." Miroku started to take out his staff, ready to cast a spell of his own.

Inuyasha tensed slightly, feeling Kikyo's closeness. He could feel slight warmth rubbing off of her, but mostly, all he felt was coldness. She wasn't as warm as she used to be. Maybe it was because she was alive back then.  
He just stood there stupidly, not making an effort to wrap his arms around her. Inuyasha felt less and less relaxed as moments passed. He remembered that night, when he was full human and Kagome was tightly in his arms. He longed for Kagome's warm touch once more, not this cold, clammy being in front of him.

Kikyo opened her eyes sharply and stepped quickly away from Inuyasha, narrowing them. "... If that's how you want to be, then I shall have to force your hand."

Miroku chanted softly beneath his breath, then tried to remove one of Kagome's bonds but was burnt for his trouble, causing him to curse in pain.

Kikyo looked quickly over to see Miroku near Kagome and sent out her soul catchers, binding Miroku, Kirara, Shippo and Sango with them to a few trees as well. "This does not concern you." She stated coldly.

Whipping out a dagger from the sash of her hoari, she walked towards the Sacred Tree and stood on a raised root, so that she stood at Kagome's level. "Choose Inuyasha." She pressed the dagger against Kagome's throat, and removed the spell so that Inuyasha could see. "If you choose me, she will die, and if you choose her, I shall kill myself and act on bringing you to hell with me now. Tell me, to whom is it you owe your life, me, who could have killed you with my Sacred Arrow 50 years ago? Or my reincarnation, who had 'saved' you by recklessly plunging Jewel Shards into her arm just a few days past, and caused you more nuisance than help in the past? Tell me, Inuyasha, who do you choose?"

Kagome couldn't speak around the gag, and didn't dare meet Inuyasha's gaze, looking instead at the night sky, thinking, "This is the last time I'll ever see the beautiful stars... or my family and friends... Good-bye mom, grandpa and Sota, good-bye all my girlfriends and Hojo... good-bye all those I will miss in my own Era.. good-bye Lady Kaede and village folk... good-bye Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, Koga... and good-bye Inuyasha..."  
  
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I hope you liked it even with the semi-evil cliffie! Please review! And as a note, I shall be gone until the middle of July, so sometime after that will be the next installment!


	7. The Right Person

Ok, because ilvsimplepln2 was so very adamant about knowing what happens, I'll be nice, and sate your appetites some more.  
  
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Seeing the dagger close to Kagome's throat Inuyasha nearly snarled. "Let... Her go." He said bluntly, avoiding Kikyo's question. He couldn't bear to make a choice involving the death of either one of them.  
  
He took a step foward, and then another, before he was almost face to face with Kagome and Kikyo. He looked over to Kikyo, before shifting his gaze to Kagome, noticing that she was avoiding his gaze by looking up to the stars. Leaping up to another raised root beside them, he slowly, he removed the gag from Kagome.  
  
Kagome felt the gag fall away from her mouth, leaving it feeling dry, her lips chapped. She could see Inuyasha by her through the corners of her eyes, and knew he was the one who had taken it off. "..." She said nothing, closing her eyes and trying to put herself back into her own time era within her mind, so that she could be back with her family one last time.  
  
Kikyo narrowed her eyes again, and used the dagger to lightly nick Kagome's throat, causing her to flinch and wince in pain. Kagome struggled against her bonds again, however, the coil around her waist was too strong, and her hands and feet were tied up, so she remained trapped against the rough tree bark.  
  
"I would have you choose, Inuyasha... This time has been long in coming. I'm growing impatient. Surely this cannot be so difficult for you..." Stated Kikyo coldly.  
  
He shifted his gaze over to Kikyo, giving her a low growl. "Don't hurt her!" He said in a rather shaky voice. "Feh, thats what you think. Your heart isn't torn between two people." He mumbled under his breath, expecting neither of them to hear.  
  
Inuyasha then glanced to Kagome, whom he blamed for causing this situation. If she hadn't tried to work with Kikyo, maybe none of this would have happened. On the other hand, if he hadn't been a coward on telling Kagome how he felt about her, then maybe none of this would ever happened, which made this situation partly his fault as well. But, then again, with his emotions split between Kagome and Kikyo, how could he give his heart to one when the other had a claim on it as well?  
"Kagome?" He said softly, trying to get her attention. He could sense the fear that she had and it ate at him that he could do nothing to comfort her.  
  
Kagome looked over at Inuyasha, a defeated look in her eyes. She had stopped struggling, too tired to continue her fight, the cords sapping her of strength. Kikyo, however, looked perfectly fresh and strong in comparison. "Remember Inuyasha... this must be destiny..."  
  
Kikyo reached out and nicked the surface of her skin again to silence her, yet Kagome didn't even register the wound.  
Kikyo turned back to Inuyasha, now bringing the dagger to her own throat, letting it rest against her alabaster skin. "So, have you chosen? Is she the one?"  
  
Inuyasha felt his heart skip a beat, seeing the look in Kagome's eyes, finding his own eyes softening. He slowly reached out, brushing the bangs out of her delicate face.  
He then looked over to Kikyo, emitting a soft growl. "What's the point of choosing? Why is it necessary?" He asked, his voice trembling.  
  
"What is the point? I am not willing to share your affections with someone else, even if she is practically related to me. I refuse to do so. I am forcing you to choose, Inuyasha, tell us, which one do you choose? The Inuyasha I knew wouldn't waste time like this, or... perhaps it's just your demon blood that is getting in the way..." Remarked Kikyo coolly.  
  
His ears twitched in irritation at Kikyo's last comment. "Feh, I don't want my decision to be responsible for someone's death!" He replied with a snarl. He quickly glanced to Kagome, and then looked back to Kikyo. "Let her go. She doesn't deserve to be tied to a tree like... Some dog!" He said with another snarl, followed by a growl. "Same goes for my other friends too!" He added in, pointing to Miroku and the others.  
  
"Who says anyone has to die? If you choose the right person, I might just be feeling generous today... And your friends aren't tied up like dogs Inuyasha. They have no ropes around their necks; your imagination is getting ahead of you."  
  
He glared at her, as he started to get a bit annoyed. "You said that if one is chosen, the other has to die." He responded bitterly to Kikyo's first remark.  
"The right person? What do you mean by that?" He asked angrily, giving her another one of his growls.  
  
"The right person? The only thing it means is that if one person is chosen, the other will be spared. However, if you choose wrong, the other will surely die." Kikyo said calmly, casting a glance at Kagome, who was hanging forward in her bonds, head dropped, and face ashen, eyes closed. "But, if you insist on stalling, it won't matter anymore. Those cords she is bound with are not as kind as my soul catchers."  
  
InuYasha's ears twitched again, listening to every word Kikyo had said. The last part of her remark got his attention the most. "Let her go, Kikyo!" He said bitterly, raising the volume of his voice. He put his hand on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga drawing it out in its entire splendor. "Or I'll free her myself."  
  
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Somehow, I don't think that served to comfort you all very much, though it wasn't much of a cliffie this time. Please review! 


	8. A Bluff?

Gomen! Gomen, I'm finally back!! Thank you, loyal readers, for keeping up with this fanfic! Here's your prize!

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"I'm sorry Inuyasha; your Tetsusaiga alone won't free her. And yet, although your Windscar and Backlash Wave would do the trick, I'm afraid while slicing her bonds, they would slice her too." Kikyo said calmly.

Meanwhile, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku had been following the conversation carefully.

"Oh no... He's not going to pick Kagome, is he, Miroku?" Whimpered the little fox demon, starting to cry.

"It look's like it's all over for Inuyasha or Kagome, one may get dragged into hell and the other may die... and there's nothing we can do..." Voiced Sango, her words laced with sorrow and regret.

"Maybe not... isn't Kikyo a lot stronger in her clay body? She can't get killed by a wound to the neck or heart so easily... That means she's bluffing! If Inuyasha chooses Kagome, Kikyo can't kill herself with the dagger, and she has already declared she must get revenge on Naraku first! That's what she meant! If Kagome if chosen, nobody will die!" Miroku deduced, then shouted to Inuyasha, "INUYASHA!!! Choose Kagome! Kikyo is jus- " The tail of the soul catcher binding him went around his mouth, keeping him from speaking further. The mouths of Sango and Shippo were also covered, to prevent them from finishing Miroku's sentence.

The dog ears upon Inuyasha's head twitched, having heard the conversation of his companions. He dropped his face towards the ground, using his bangs to cover his eyes, making a dark shadow loom over his facial features.

'A bluff is it?' He thought as a small smirk came to his lips. He looked up, hearing Miroku shout his name. Turning his head to the direction of his friends, he saw Kikyo's soul catchers silencing them. Even though Miroku didn't finish his sentence, Inuyasha already knew what he would have said.  
He shifted his gaze back to Kikyo, giving her a glare. He glanced towards Kagome, taking a moment to note the glassy look of her eyes, which worried him. He knew who he was going to choose. It wasn't because of Miroku telling him to choose Kagome because he had figured out Kikyo's bluff. It was his heart who decided on the choice.  
Inuyasha took a deep breath, before stating his answer. "I choose..." He took another breath, seeming as if he struggled to get the words out of his mouth. "I choose Kagome." He said finally without taking his eyes off her.

Kikyo smirked. "Well done Inuyasha, you figured out the trick, you should have known that I cannot be killed so easily anymore. Still, you had your friends to help you, and I wonder if you would have figured it out on your own. I think your human form would have been quicker with his wits. I think I definitely prefer you in your human form, Inuyasha." She waved a hand in the air and Kagome's bonds disappeared, allowing her to fall on her front on the hard ground.

Kagome groaned slightly, her eyes shut, one hand curling weakly around a handful of grass, trying to grab onto something solid. She felt so... cold... like she'd never be warm again. She didn't want to move; her limbs felt like lead.

"I will take you to hell with me, Inuyasha, if not today. I must rid this world of the Shikon no Tama and Naraku first." She held up Kagome's bottle of Jewel Shards in her hand for all to see, the light of the moon causing the shards to glitter. "I promise you that. And promises are not to be taken lightly." Kikyo called her soul catchers to her, setting Shippo, Kirara, Miroku and Sango on the ground, if a bit roughly. She disappeared in the night sky, leaving the small company on the ground.

Inuyasha narrowed his amber eyes at Kikyo, giving her a short glare before he shifted his gaze over to Kagome. He hurriedly rushed to her side, kneeling right next to her.  
"Kagome? Are you ok?" He said in a rather soft and quiet voice as he gently put one of his hands on her shoulder. He looked her up and down from head to toe, searching to see if she had any injuries. Seeing that she didn't have any wounds, he exhaled a deep breath of relief.  
"How about you guys? Are you all right?" He asked the others without taking his eyes off Kagome. Slowly, he brushed Kagome's hair out of her face with his fingers.

Kagome shifted her head slightly, opening her eyes slowly and looking at Inuyasha, a serene smile overtaking her lips, bringing grace to her features. "... Inuyasha... thank you for... choosing... me..." Her eyes lingered on his face a little longer then a small breath escaped her and her eyes closed, body going limp, her head shifting back to its original position.

The others ran over, Sango restraining Shippo from jumping all over Kagome by holding him tightly in her arms, both of their faces shrouded with worry. Miroku knelt by Kagome too, holding her wrist in one hand, taking her pulse in the other, finding it, although it was faint and weak. Kirara was back in her small form and had leapt onto Inuyasha's shoulder, a question like sound issuing from her throat.

"We'll be fine, but what about Kagome?" Asked Sango.

A worried look appeared upon Inuyasha's face. "Kagome?" He said softly, brushing her hair out of her face once more. He glanced to Kirara, giving her a small pat on her head before he gazed over his shoulder to Sango and Shippo. "I don't know... I hope she's alright..." He replied, returning his gaze to Kagome.  
"Will she be ok Miroku?" Inuyasha questioned with a hint of worry in his voice. He put his hand on Kagome's forehead to check for a fever but she was the opposite of warm, feeling cold.  
He gave a soft growl to himself, blaming this situation on himself. If he had hurried on choosing Kagome, she wouldn't have to suffer like this.

"I don't know; Kikyo's bonds must have taken a lot out of her. Did you see how strong and healthy she appeared tonight? It might have been because she was draining Kagome of her health and strength. She's so cold." Miroku pressed Kagome's fingertips to Inuyasha's hand, letting him feel the iciness of her hands. "She's too cold... she'll die like this if we don't get her out of here and get her warmer." Miroku started to pick her up, but hurriedly set her down again, his left arm unable to bear the weight.

Inuyasha's ears twitched, listening to Miroku's words. He gave a short growl at the mention of Kikyo's actions. He grasped Kagome's hand tightly, feeling how cold her fingers felt against his hand.  
"Don't hurt yourself Miroku. You're already hurt as it is." He said glancing over to him. "I'll carry her." He added as he took off his red hoari. He wrapped the garment around Kagome before he picked her in his arms. "This should keep her warm until we get back." He said softly, bringing Kagome's head close to his chest for more warmth.

Kagome's face was no longer ashen, though it was stark white, a slightly more crème version of the moon's color, her raven black hair contrasting sharply with her skin tone. She remained oblivious to what was happening in the real world, mind lost in a dream where destiny was playing its part, and she watched Inuyasha disappear with Kikyo. She ran after them, only to switch to another time and place, where the same thing happened, again and again.  
  
"Inuyasha, can you balance with Kagome on Kirara? She's slightly faster than your travel, though it would be more dangerous if either of you lost your balance..." Remarked Sango quietly.

Shippo had finally struggled from Sango's grip and leapt onto Inuyasha's other shoulder, placing a hand against Kagome's cheek. "Kagome! Kagome!!!! Please wake up... don't die!!!"

Inuyasha's ears twitched in annoyance with Shippo's whining voice. He would have pounded the little fox demon on the head, but he had both of his arms around Kagome, and he was too busy mulling over whether there was any truth in his words.  
"Would you shut up? She's not going to die." He replied to Shippo in a bitter tone. 'At least... I hope she won't. I... Haven't told her that I-' His thought was interrupted when he heard Sango's question.  
"Uh... Yeah. I'll be able to handle it." He replied, holding Kagome tighter and closer to him. "I won't loose my balance, Sango." He added in, giving her a small smile.

Kirara leapt down to the ground, transforming again, the flames at her feet hot and fierce in her worry over Kagome.

Shippo leapt down too. "I-I'll go back with Sango and Miroku, I-I can't let myself slow Kirara down. H-hurry Inuyasha!!" He said tearfully.

Miroku picked him up, patting his head gently. "He's right Inuyasha, you must hurry; we'll follow you. You must go, NOW!"

Inuyasha climbed on Kirara's back, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position. He held Kagome tightly with one arm, while holding onto Kirara's fur with his other.  
He nodded to his friends, before also nodding to Kirara, who was looking back at him. "Right, I'll meet you there." He replied, taking one last look at his companions. "Let's go Kirara!" He told her, holding Kagome even tighter. Kirara leapt forward, a streaking white blur soaring over the forest as she flew towards Lady Kaede's, landing lightly on the ground in front of the hut, allowing Inuyasha to dismount.

Miroku held Sango back as she tried to run after Kirara, and kept Shippo firmly on his shoulder. "Making your injuries worse isn't going to help Kagome, Sango. We'll hurry, but we don't need to hurt ourselves in the process. Lady Kaede will know what to do, and we know of little that can save Kagome. She's in good hands right now."

Sango relaxed, shoulder relaxing slightly, though her face spoke of defeat. "Yes... We must hurry Miroku, even if we can do little to help; Kagome needs us to be there. Come on." She led the way through the forest, sticking to the faint dirt path that would lead them back to the village.

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Well, how do you like that? Reviews please! New chapter will come soon! 


	9. On the Edge of Life and Death

Ok, I'm finally back and updating. Gomen, gomen, sorry I haven't updated!!!! bows frantically High school is so busy.... so much work, and varsity tennis.... well, anyway, here's Chapter 9.

On the Edge of Life and Death

Kirara landed lightly on the ground, paws hitting the dirt with a slight thud. Inuyasha leapt off her back, bursting inside the hut to a surprised Lady Kaede. She regarded Inuyasha and his charge carefully, then rose, bringing a woven straw sleeping mat and pillow over next to the fire. "Quickly, lay her down." She said, not liking the frightfully pale and slightly ashen shade of Kagome's face.

"What happened?" She asked Inuyasha, setting to boil a pot of water, slicing up a few ginger roots with the speed that comes of age and experience, dropping them with a small splash in the pot.

Inuyasha quickly related to her what had happened, sitting down cross-legged by Kagome's side, his brow creased in undisguised worry at her off complexion and the shallowness of her breaths. Her black bangs lay limply over her forehead. He brushed them away, running his fingers softly through them.

He looked down to Kagome, a look full of worry and concern appeared upon his face. "Will she be ok, Kaede?" He questioned softly.

Kirara appeared at the doorway, in her large form again, a wooden bucket held by a side within her massive jaws. She laid it down on the threshold of the doorway, filled with water. Shrinking, she mewled softly, nudging the bucket carefully towards them on the floor.

He turned to look at Kirara. "Kirara, can you go find Miroku and the others? They're taking too long." He asked. She mewled in affirmation, stepping outside, preparing to transform again. Inuyasha wondered broodingly what had happened to Sango, Miroku, and Shippo.

"Help her sit up, I need to feed this to her." Lady Kaede said abruptly.

InuYasha's thought was interrupted by Kaede's request to help Kagome sit up. He nodded; gently pushing Kagome up, letting her head lay in his lap.

Lady Kaede opened Kagome's mouth then dribbled a small trickle of the ginger boiled water into her mouth, a shadow passing over her face when she didn't swallow it. "She's too weak to swallow on her own..." She gently pressed down on Kagome's throat, helping the girl to swallow, painstakingly feeding her the entire bowl that way.

Luckily, Kirara never even had to transform, for as she stepped outside, Miroku and the others appeared on the bridge leading into the village. Sprinting the last few yards, the trio stood in the entrance way, bent over, panting.

"Took you long enough." Inuyasha snapped, his words sounding harsh even to his own ears, causing him to wince slightly. Turning back to Lady Kaede, he demanded, "Well? Is she going to be ok?"

Lady Kaede rubbed her temples and sighed deeply. "I cannot say without lying to ye, Inuyasha. Her condition is unsure as of this time. There is nothing I can do without knowing what bonds my sister used on her, and even then, I could not be sure I have anything in my power to help her. Only time will tell."

"Only time will tell?" He repeated her words as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So you want us to sit around and do nothing while Kagome suffers and gets colder by the minute?!" He growled angrily, clenching his hand, pounding his fist into the hard wooden floor.

"Inuyasha, there is nothing I can do! All traces of the bonds will have vanished! If it is as ye said, and Kagome was being drained of her strength and health, that means there was a connection between her and Kikyo. If it was a spell conjured up by her, not with the help of some other magic, then Kagome can break this curse like affliction herself. However, if other magic was used, then we harbor little chance of rescuing her until it's too late. Even the first way, it is like that time Kagome was ensnared by the dark priestess' curse, she is... lost... in a sense, and needs to find her way back to us... though no one but herself knows what can guide her spirit back on the path..."

Shippo came to Kagome's side, resting his paws gently on one of her arms, peering anxiously at her face. When she did not make any reaction, he sat back, tail drooping in dejection.

Miroku and Sango settled wearily on the far side of the fire, close enough to be fairly close to Kagome and able to watch over her, yet far enough away from Inuyasha that they would have some warning if he suddenly went berserk at them.

His ears perked, hearing the dark preistess, Tsubaki being mentioned. The name made his blood boil even more remembering the time when Kagome was bit by Tsubaki's shikigami, putting a curse on her which almost got him killed by Kagome's arrow. Luckily, the arrow only pierced his shoulder. All those memories flooded his mind. He even remembered when Tsubaki sent another one of her shikigami to attack him. And he couldn't have used the Tetsusaiga other wise she would kill Kagome with the curse.

He wondered if Kikyo had similar plans to turn Kagome against him.

Thinking of that made him growl, clutching his hands into fists again. "I swear I'm going to..." He mumbled the rest under his breath.

"... So, there is nothing we can do? All we can do is wait for Kagome to free herself from this... curse?" Asked Sango haltingly, keeping her eyes trained on Inuyahsa's to make sure she would see if he was going to have a fit with her.

"Nay child, this is not a curse. There is not curse ever learnt in the good priestess' craft. Yes, at the same time, nay, nothing. As I said, she needs an incentive, to know which path in the darkness she should take to return to us... and without it she will not return, and her body will eventually die. Hopefully our presence here will be enough. We cannot return her home, for without a Jewel Shard, she will never be able to come back."

"Die?" InuYasha's voice was laced with worry and fear. "So we have to wait and do nothing while her body is on the edge of dying?!" He growled angrily pounded his fist on the floor boards once more.

He pushed himself off the floor, rising to his feet. Hastily, he paced back and forth, mind trying to think of a solution. But so far he couldn't come up with anything. He let out a soft yawn before rubbing his eyes and continuing his pacing.

The silence after this outburst was broken by a stifled yawn by Shippo, who was nearly falling asleep sitting up. Miroku and Sango looked haggard and in desperate need of sleep as well.

Lady Kaede examined the three closely, and then gestured to a pile of straw sleeping mats and pillows. "I suggest ye especially get some rest, ye have returned from searching for Kohaku, and have had nary a minute to rest."

They took her advice and turned in, Sango and Miroku with dark circles under their eyes. Even Shippo, with his boundless energy had faint hints of circles under his eyes too, and his steps no longer had their usual spring, though that could be attributed to Kagome's sudden illness.

Kagome stirred, rolling over on the floor, shivering, drawing Inuyasha's red hoari around her more tightly, whispering, "No... NO!! Come back... don't leave!!! Come back... please, come back...." before falling silent once more.

InuYasha's ears perked, hearing Kagome speak. "Kagome?!" He said in a quiet tone, being careful not to wake the others. He hurriedly rushed to her side, kneeling next to her. "I'm here Kagome.. I'm not going anywhere without you."

In her nightmarish fantasy, Kagome remained oblivious to anything that was going on in the outside world. She was back in the mountains of Riyokotsusei, with the others, Kikyo not in sight. Riyokotsusei was asleep, and everything seemed fine. Then, of course, Kikyo came. Inuyasha went off with her, as she started to bring them to hell, not giving a backwards glance at Kagome and the others. When Kagome protested, Riyokotsusei awoke, smashing his tail down, crushing Miroku, Sango and Shippo. Tears started to run down her face in the dream, and she ran towards Inuyasha and Kikyo,though it was too late, they were gone, and she was left behind with the demonic creature, already aiming to smite her down with the tip of his tail. Then the scene changed again, the floor crumbling from beneath her, and she reached out with her hand as if to grab something as she fell into the darkness.

In the real world, Kagome shivered again, curling up into a small ball, unknowingly facing Inuyasha. She reached out in her hand as in the dream, her hand ending up curling around his wrist. She lay still again, breathing slightly stronger, her face not quite so pale and the touch of her skin not quite so cold. Lady Kaede was right; the ginger did appear to be warming her body.

Seeing Kagome shiver made him feel guilty for doing as the others suggested, which was to wait and see what happens. His breath was caught in his lungs as he felt her hand around his wrist.

Bringing himself closer to her, he put his free hand on top of hers, holding her hand tightly. He let of a sigh of relief, feeling her skin warming up.

Kagome smiled, her subconscious mind that remained with her soothed by his presence. She allowed her hand to remain around his wrist and lay still once more.

Her conscious state of mind, the one in the nightmare, however, did not receive any of this comfort. She landed on the banks near the lake of the place between Hell and the Earthly world, where Inuyasha had been reunited with his 'mother'.

Lady Kaede had watched this exchange silently. 'It would appear Kagome knows in her sub-conscious that she must return, and knows whom can help her to do so. Inuyasha... if only thou knew what role ye play in this... Yet I cannot tell thee, lest it ruins what little progress we have made so far. Inuyasha, you fool. You're blind to the obvious.' she thought. "Inuyasha, I shall turn in now, and sleep on how to aid Kagome. This old woman needs her rest. We shall give her more of the ginger broth in the morning, too much will unsettle her stomach. You should rest too, Inuyasha." She brought over another pallet and a second pile of blankets and pillows. "You need not use these if you wish. Good night, Inuyasha." Her eyes lingered on Kagome's face for a moment, and her hand on his wrist, encased in his other hand. She then left to her room.

Hearing Kaede's advice to get some rest,InuYasha declined wanting to stay awake and near Kagome. He would stay up the whole night if he had to. He wanted to watch over Kagome, and remain in his position near her.  
"Night..." He said quietly to Kaede, knowing that she had already left. He let out a small yawn, though he forced himself to stay awake, knowing that he'll eventually fall asleep.

Days passed, Kagome's condition showing no sign of improving. Though at first, her body appeared healthy, and normal, as the days went by, she grew thinner, and weaker, no matter at Lady Kaede's efforts to get nourishment into her body. The last time she had spoken was to Inuyasha in her whispered voice, when she had called for him to come back due to saying it in her nightmare. The last time she had moved was to with draw her hand from his wrist and grasp, curling it back to her side that night, days ago, after he had fallen asleep. There had been a calling for a demon exorcism where one was terrorizing a village in the nearby mountains. They had called for Sango, and, regretfully, she and Miroku left, reluctant to leave Kagome behind. However, Lady Kaede ushered them on, assuring them there was no benefit in them staying while leaving the village to its doom. Shippo had stayed, spending all of his time helping Lady Kaede, his tail drooping and fur without its usual healthy sheen in his worry over Kagome.

At the moment, Inuyasha and Shippo had been shooed out of the hut by Lady Kaede so she could take care of some of Kagome's more personal needs.

InuYasha sat on to of the roof of the hut waiting for Kaede to finish.

He let out a low growl getting impatient as he always does. "Who does that old hag thinks she is? I need to be there with Kagome!" He said, twitching his ears in annoyance.

He sighed realizing his complaining wasn't helping him at all. He glanced down to Shippo feeling a bit relaxed from his company. "Stop your moping. Kagome will be fine." He soothed softly. Everyone had been saying that for a couple of days but it seemed that Kagome's condition grew worse within each passing day. He dropped his gaze to the ground feeling desperate for Kagome to get better. "Wait and do nothing... Feh... Some idea."

Shippo nodded slightly in reflex, tail just drooping lower. He didn't say anything, knowing if he voiced any of the thoughts in his mind at the moment, Inuyasha would pound him into the ground. Still, he wouldn't mind getting pounded into the ground if Kagome would get better... but that wouldn't help at all...

"This old hag is finished, Inuyasha. You may come back in now. Shippo, why don't you come with me? We'll get some more herbs from the forest which don't grow in my garden."

She took his hand gently, a basket swinging lightly from her other arm.

"Finally." InuYasha said in bitterness as he jumped off the roof of the hut. He took one more look at Kaede and Shippo before entering the hut.

There, he saw Kagome laying upon the ground. He let out a sigh as he made his way towards her. He sat close to her, watching over her for any signs indicating that she would wake up.

Kagome's dreams had stopped sticking to the Kikyo and Inuyasha theme a few days back, and instead had been going through every day, every adventure of her life, making scenarios that had never before happened, though... they had never shown Inuyasha... dying... Kagome was looking upon the day where Naraku had set his evil plot of Kikyo and Inuyasha's betrayal to one another. She saw in slow motion the arrow hit him, though this time, it wasn't a regular arrow, it was a Sacred Arrow. Instead of the spell that was cast over him... he... died... Kikyo disappeared and Kagome screamed, running with feet on the wind until she reached the tree and stood on the gnarled roots in front of his body, devoid of life. Putting out a hand, she touched his cheek, only to find it cold. She began to cry, winding her arms around his neck, tears dripping onto his hoari, and ignored the arrow sticking into her side. "Inuyasha, you can't die. If you die now, I'll never meet you... Come back to me Inuyasha... please... come back to me!!!! I need you to stay..." She was aware that this wasn't the real world in the subconscious of her spirit, but this felt so real... and she couldn't help it... her dream self was the one guiding her through all these scenes, making each scenario feel fresh and new, the danger real, everything happening real, even as her real world conscious protested it's existence. That proved itself now more than ever.

Kagome stirred again, the first time in days. "Inu... come back to me... Inu.... Need... stay...." She whispered, repeating her words in the dream, leaving some out but still projecting a clear message.

InuYasha's ears perked, hearing Kagome talk. He fell silent, as he listened to her words. He felt the beat of his heart rate speed up. She needed him?

He reached out his hand to gently brush her hair out of her delicate face. He then trailed his hand to her check, relishing the soft feel of her skin on the tips of his fingers. "I'm right here, by your side Kagome... Like I always have." He replied softly, hoping she had heard his words. He could feel his emotions building up inside of him, as he grew

desperate for Kagome's return.

In her nightmare fantasy, she kissed him gently, his mouth cold and unyielding under her own trembling lips. Inuyasha's voice came through to her and she managed to catch his last word, 'forever'. A bright light dissolved everything around her, causing Kagome to throw her arms over her eyes to prevent herself from being blinded. When the light faded and she could see again, she opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times to clear her blurry vision, to see Inuyasha bending intently over her, looking straight into her eyes.

There it is. Hope you liked it, please review!


	10. Awakened, the Beautiful Dreamer

Again, with the horrors of high school. Gomen, gomen… Well, here's the latest installment, though if any of you were hoping for another action packed chapter, I'm sorry to disappoint. You'll have to wait for the next, which will come in the next few days if I have any say in the matter. Unfortunately, my mother is the task master of the house, and manages all time.. Sigh… well, enjoy the fluff…

Inuyasha held his breath as Kagome opened her eyes. The closeness he just realized made his heart thump faster. Kagome was back, his Kagome.... He didn't know how she returned, but he was glad that she was back. He continued to stare deep into her eyes, finding his own eyes softening.  
He went with his first instinct, hoping that her response wouldn't be 'sit boy'. Closing the distance between them as he closed his eyes, Inuyasha laid his lips gently over hers in a soft sweet kiss.

For the first few moments, Kagome remained very still, shocked, half wondering if she was still dreaming. Then she relaxed, taking in the sensation of her hand being held in his, and his other hand near her face, fingertips resting lightly on her cheek. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, not able to manage any more than that, raising her head very slightly kiss to him back, then laid her head back down, the effort having cost much more than it usually would have.

He didn't want to advert their locked gazes, wanting to forget everything around him and wanted to focus his attention mainly to Kagome. Inuyasha whispered in a slightly husky voice, "I thought... That I lost you. Days passed and there weren't any signs of you waking up any time soon. Instead, your condition grew worse." as he tightened the grasp around her hand. 

"Well, I'm back now." She gave a small smile as she spoke the next part. "It seems strange, after being out of it for so very many days, but... I feel, so... tired. But... I don't want to go to sleep again, and not see your face for more hours." She sat up slowly, eyes screwed up in effort, finally managing to sit up, supporting herself on her free hand.

"Kagome? You shouldn't be sitting up." He said in a quiet tone, moving closer to her as he allow herself to lean on him. "You should get some rest. Don't worry, I'll be right here." He soothed, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

Kagome tried to protest, but she felt her eyelids falling heavily and quickly over her eyes, and nodded sleepily. She wound her arms around his neck like in her dream though this time his skin was warm. Weaving her fingers through some of his silver hair, she soon drifted off in a dreamless, deep sleep, head tucked neatly under his chin, safe within his embrace, Inuyasha's red hoari still draped about her shoulders.

Lady Kaede stood outside the hut, covering Shippo's ears, trying to divert her attention towards the new flowers starting to peep through the earth. Once she sensed Kagome sleeping, she walked softly into the hut with Shippo tip-toeing after her.

Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief, noticing Kagome was doing as he asked and drifting off the sleep. He inhaled a deep breath, taking in her scent, of the strange future and something reminding him of flowers. He tightened his arms around her as he softly snuggled his cheek against the softness of her hair. He toyed with the edge of the hoari, as his delicate hearing picked up footsteps behind him. "Shh! Kagome's sleeping." He imformed them with a whisper, not caring what they thought of him with Kagome in his arms. 

Shippo stared wide-eyed at the couple while Lady Kaede smiled with her back turned to them as she set about preparing some lunch for the three of them, and some weak broth for Kagome, as her stomach, after days of being force-fed, would not likely take to solid, heavy food right away.

He shifted his gaze over to Shippo and growled softly at his staring. "What the heck are you looking at?" He asked bitterly, narrowing his eyes at him as he gave the little fox demon a cold stare.

Inuyasha gave a mere snort at him before he allowed Shippo to respond. Actually, he didn't need to hear his reply. He inhaled a deep breath to control his slight annoyance, as he continued to hold Kagome close to him. He could feel his heart beating against hers, as if they one. Without her, he couldn't go on.

Shippo looked away quickly, coloring, then dug out the sketchpad and pencils Kagome had brought him a while ago, sketching a picture quickly. While he drew, he asked, "When are Sango and Miroku coming back?"

Inuyasha shrugged at Shippo's question. "Heh, I'm glad they are anywhere but here." He stated, knowing that Miroku would surely shower him with perverted comments if he saw him and Kagome embracing each other like this."What ya drawing there, Shippo?" He asked, trying to keep his voicecalm and him temper down. 

"Oh, nothing much." He put the finishing touches on and showed Inuyasha a picture of him and Kagome. "I've been practicing," He said with a cheeky smile.

Lady Kaede served them their lunch, a fresh miso soup type deal, praising Shippo briefly on his work which made him smile harder.

Inuyasha took one quick look at the picture before inclining his face towards the ground, trying to hide the redness of his face with his bangs. "Er... I hope you're going to get rid of that picture before Miroku and Sango return." He said quietly. 

As if right on cue, Miroku and Sango stepped inside the hut, Sango leaning heavily from fatigue on Miroku's shoulder as Kirara stood protectively on her other side. Lady Kaede bustled about, handing towels and dry blankets to the pair, setting out a plate of food for Kirara, which the cat demon took to eagerly once seeing Sango taken care of.

InuYasha looked away still having Kagome tight in his grasp. "You! Whattook you so long?" He said in an annoyed down, trying to steer this subject in a different direction. 

Sango looked away from Kirara for a moment and said lightly, "Well, we got stuck by a river's side for a few days as it flooded. Kirara was ill from a bit of demon poison. We had no way to make our way across."

Miroku noted for the first time Kagome's whereabouts, and Shippo's drawing. He commented, "It seems we've missed an interesting past few days." Taking the drawing and holding it at arms length as if to properly admire it.

Inuyasha uttered a low growl in response to Miroku's remark about Shippo's drawing. "If I wasn't busy holding Kagome right now, I'd pound you right in the head!" He said bitterly, holding Kagome a bit tighter to him. His ears twitch, hearing Sango's statement. "Feh, flood. For all I know you two could have somewhere getting to know each other better!"

Lady Kaede broke in gently, "Now now, ye all need rest. Inuyasha, why don't you allow Kagome to lie down? T'would mean a faster recovery and better rest for her."

Inuyasha shook his head, refusing to let go of her. To be honest, he liked having her close to him like this. With Kagome in his arms, he felt warmth and comfort. Something he hadn't felt for a while. But it was true, she couldn't get that sleep with him holding onto her. He gently put her down, not minding one bit that his haori was still draped upon her shoulders. He twitched his ears in annoyance upon hearing Miroku's voice. The monk had muttered something quietly to Sango, who smiled and glanced over at Inuyasha. "I'll pretend like I didn't hear that and let you live for now." Inuyasha said with a snarl. 

Sango turned serious again, looking over at Inuyasha and Kagome before saying quietly, "You know Inuyasha.. This would be a good time to choose between Kikyo and Kagome. It wouldn't be right, to lead Kagome to believe that you intend to remain with her… if in reality you will follow Kikyo to hell someday…."

Inuyasha glanced to Sango, before looking down at the sleeping Kagome, his eyes softening at the mere sight of her. Caressing her cheek tenderly with the back of one finger, he said in a soft tone, "You should already know my decision." looking back at Sango. 

"We may know, but does she know? You've two timed her a lot in the past you know, Inuyasha." Miroku interjected calmly.

Inuyasha twitched his ears, listening to Miroku's words. The part that upset him most was the part about him two timing Kagome. He growled, slamming his fist upon the floor boards. "Oh yeah? You don't know what its like to have your heart torn in two different directions. It hurts to love two people at the same time." He paused, realizing he had just opened up to his companions, something he normally didn't do. As a result, he dropped his gaze to the floor, allowing his bangs to cover up his eyes.

Silence fell over the hut. After a while, Inuyasha raised his gaze again to find the occupants all away in the land of dreams. He could hear Lady Kaede's light breathing from the next room. Shippo lay curled beside Kagome, smiling slightly in his dreams, paw twitching cutely. Sango rested her head on Miroku's chest, whilst the monk had an arm about her waist, not being a lecher for once.

Seeing everyone asleep, Inuyasha inadvertently yawned, and decided he might do well to join them. Shifting slightly on the wall, he settled himself in a more comfortable sitting position on the floor, leaning into the wall as his eyelids grew too heavy to keep open, and joined the others in sleep.

Hehe, sorry, I know that was a bit of a bore to read, without much action. I just thought it might be nice to get a little fluff in there, and it's kind of a chapter to bring everyone back together. I promise, there's more action in the next chapter, and someone is probably going to get injured… I seem to like injuring my characters, don't I? Sigh…


	11. The Last Shard?

**Ok, ok… I'll take the no reviews as a sign of displeasure that I took so long to put up that last installment. Well, here's this one. Please review this time… I'm so busy… and I'm trying my best over here…**

Slight twitching came from InuYasha's ears, hearing the chatter of birds in the new morning, though he was still asleep. In the middle of the night, he had seemed to shift positions. From leaning against the wall, he went to lying upon the ground. He shifted to his side, mumbling some words under his breath as soft snoring could be heard.

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha, and pressed her fingertips to her lips, recalling what happened. She smiled at first, then it faded as she recalled what had happened the last time she had been happy like this. Inuyasha had said he was happy to see her after pulling the tree out of the well... then Kikyo came along and he almost went into hell with her. "Is he two-timing me again?" She wondered. "He never did say..." she twitched her nose and picked up a bucket, walking delicately down to the stream to freshen herself up and get some water. Sitting down at the edge of the flowing water, she felt light headed, though the water helped clear her senses. "Kagome?" A voice called. Kagome turned to see InuYasha standing in the woods behind her.

"Inuyasha?"

InuYasha stirred in his sleep, turning on his stomach before grunting and turning onto his side. Twitching came from his ears, hearing soft voices from outside. He peeked open an eye to see that Kagome was no longer inside of the hut.

"Kagome... I just realized, Naraku has all the Jewel Shards now except for one.... Do you know where that last one is?" Asked InuYasha.

Kagome closed her eyes and reached out her senses, answering, "I think…. I think it lies somewhere towards the North from here, in the supposed direction of Naraku's castle.

He grinned, and unleashed his claws. "Good, well then Kagome, it's time to say good-bye." He began advancing towards her.

InuYasha sat up rubbing his eyes to get used to the morning light. He stretched his arms, letting out a small yawn. His ears perked, hearing Kagome's voice as well as a voice of another that sounded like him. Curious, he stood up.

Kagome, eyes wide, started to back up, but stopped when she felt the icy cold water of the spring hit the backs of her ankles through her socks.  
"I-InuYasha!? What are you doing?! What do you mean it's time to say good-bye?!?!" Her voice became strained and frantic towards the end of her sentence.

Her only answer was a cold grin before he jumped up, slashing out with his claws, shouting, "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!!" She dodged it narrowly, landing on her front in the cold water of the spring.

The voices grew louder when InuYasha stepped out of the hut. Having grabbed the Tetsusaiga, he sheathed it by his waist, heading down the path towards the spring. As he rose over the crest, panic rose in him, and he ran towards the strange scene below.  
"Kagome?!" He called out, seeing her and someone who looked like him.  
Inuyasha let out a low growl. He unsheathed the Tetsusaiga, the rusted metal appearance fleshing out as always to its powerful fanglike form. He hesitated for a moment, knowing if he struck from behind with the Windscar, that Kagome might get caught in it. He leapt to the side, arranging himself that the striking range of the Windscar wouldn't touch Kagome. He summoned the wind, allowing it to swirl for a moment around the lethal blade, then slashed forward with the Tetsusaiga, sending a powerful beam of golden light charging towards Kagome's attacker.

The InuYasha that attacked Kagome turned and leapt lightly into the air, the Windscar passing underneath him and away, causing destruction in the forest beyond, leaving deep ruts in the ground, smoking harshly. He landed, smirking. "Is that the best you can do?" He turned to Kagome, attacking her once more.

She rolled again, panting, her body weak from lying sick in bed and not eating anything for the past weak. This time, one of the claws caught her shirt, ripping a long gash across a sleeve and the body of the garment. The lower third of the shirt hung down, hanging at the sides, and the strip of cloth that had formed hersleeve dangled down like an odd sash. 'I can't keep this up.' She thought and stood quickly, feeling her lightheadedness return.

InuYasha's amber eyes widened in fear as he saw Kagome get attacked once more, ripping her school uniform. He shook his head, hesitating for a moment. 'I need to get her out of here. Whoever that is, he's goin' to keep striking Kagome even though I strike him.' He thought, sheathing his sword as he dashed for Kagome, picking her up in his arms. Again he hesitated for a split second, looking about him for a spot of safety. 'No, not the hut, it'll only put the others in danger as well.' He ran off in the forest.

"Foolish InuYasha, you think you can run from me so easily?" Naraku, still in InuYasha's form, leapt in front of InuYasha, striking at him with his claws.

InuYasha dodged that attack, doing a sharp right turn. "Hold on Kagome." He warned her as he leaped into the air, landing up a tree branch. From there on, he leapt from tree to tree.

A distance away, Naraku stopped pursuing them. InuYasha carried on a little longer, stopping at the Sacred Tree.

InuYasha glanced down at Kagome, somewhat narrowing his eyes at her. "What were you doing up so early? And in your condition? You should have known better than to wander outside in your state." He said in a rough tone, mixed with worry.

Kagome squirmed in his grasp slightly. "I went to get some water! How was I to know Naraku would show up as you?! Let me down, I want to go home!!!"

InuYasha set her down gently, listening to her harsh tone. "Well, you may never know!" Was all he could come up with. "Going home again?! For what?! Just because I was worried about you? Fine leave. That seems to be the one thing you're good at anyway. Just forget it." He said turning his back to her. "And just forget about that kiss we had." He said softly under his breath, hoping she wouldn't hear.

Kagome turned in half shock, half anger. She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth angrily, then set off back towards Lady Kaede's hut, meaning to get her stuff then go home, to the present day world.

InuYasha settled himself upon a high tree branch, letting out a soft sigh. Seeing Kagome wipe her mouth as if angry, he glanced down to the ground, feeling a bit hurt. That night, he meant that kiss. Was she thinking that he was two timing her? Well, he wasn't. He had already made his choice before he kissed her. That choice was none other than her.

He let out a sigh, jumping down from his perch. He left in the direction he had seen Kagome leave, into the woods, in search of Kagome to tell her what he couldn't say before.

Kagome was panting slightly on her return trip, bangs glued to her brow, damp with sweat. She was starting to feel a bit light-headed again, her adrenaline rush fading away, leaving her fuel starved body weak, limbs feeling leaden. A small clearing made itself visible to her, a faint, blurred outline of what appeared to be a stump in the very middle. Kagome made her way towards it with relief, meaning to sit for a moment and rest.

Pushing aside the saplings that grew around the edges of the clearing, Kagome looked towards the tree stump and inhaled sharply. The sun was able to shine strongly down into this exposed space, the light revealing a glittering something on top of the stump. Pushed into a crack of the weathered wood, was the last Jewel Shard.  
Kagome dropped her pack, quiver and bow on the soft, light-green grass where she stood, staring at the little shard. This latest development proved to be too much after all the emotional trauma of the past few days. Fat teardrops began to gather on her lower eyelashes, threatening to roll down her cheeks in small rivulets. 'After all this time.... the last one....' She walked slowly, reverently forward, kneeling once she reached the stump. She stretched out one hand, shaking slightly, towards the Jewel Shard. Kagome had it between her fingertips when an arrow flew out of nowhere, almost grazing her hand and embedded itself in the wood of the stump.

**Evil of me….. Well, anyway, hope you liked it, next installment coming soon! Well.. Hopefully soon… -.- My role-playing partner ditched me…. So, it's up to me to finish this fic. Oh well… I kind of like it better this way.**


	12. To Live or To Die

Ok, I'm back. I'm really tired right now, I've been running around for the past four hours with a bunch of 3rd grade girls… they're really sweet, if energetic. So, it was worth the tiredness I feel now. Anyway, here's the next installment. More evil Kikyo. I realize there are a lot of places I can go with this, and I also realize that I can do a much better job of writing this but I'm formulating another InuYasha and Kagome fanfic in my head, and I'm trying to save some ideas for that, and this fanfic has been dragged out long enough. I've backed myself into a corner, and unless I want to take you all into some other tangent for this fanfic (which I don't since you and I are both getting bored with this fic) there's not much other place to go with this. Even so, I'll probably be using a few lines here and there from this fanfic in the other one. Please understand. Flame me if you like, yell, criticize, it's ok. I'll understand. This is a really bad debut fanfic for me. Even so, when I get the chance to finish writing up the beginning chapters of my Hawksong, Escaflowne, Teen Titans, Harry Potter, and new InuYasha fanfics, I'm hoping you'll take a look at them. Thanks so much for supporting me, all of you.

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Kagome jerked back her hand, clutching it to her chest. Gazing wildly about, she caught sight of a figure wearing red and white in the forest. The figure came forth into the light, hand gripped tightly around the shaft of a Japanese maple longbow, head lowered such that her silky black bangs covered her eyes. A slender pale hand reached back to take an arrow from the quiver slung casually across her back.

"My reincarnation… it only becomes clearer and clearer to me that you do not belong here."

Kagome scrambled up quickly, momentarily forgetting her fatigue. "Kikyo, why are you doing this? Why can't you accept that I can come here from my world?

Kikyo remained silent as she fingered the shaft of the Sacred Arrow in her hand, then answered, "Neither of us belong here. We are here, with tasks to complete. Yours was to collect all the Jewel Shards. Mine is to destroy Naraku, and wreak my revenge on InuYasha. Your task is done. And as such, you are no longer needed."

Nocking the arrow to her bow, Kikyo sighted down the shaft at Kagome. Her fingers pulled back the taut sinew bowstring, feeling the force behind her fingers which she could release at any given time.

Kagome stared at the arrow, the sacred aura dormant presently. She recalled how unpleasant it felt to be at the receiving end of these arrows, remembering when Kaguya, the self proclaimed Princess of the Night, shot her in the back with her own arrow. She repeated softly. "Why are you doing this, Kikyo? What have I done to you?"

Kikyo made an almost snarling sound, "What have you done to me! You stole InuYasha from me! I wanted to be the one to melt his heart, to remove that sullen look from his eyes. And I shall reclaim him and bring him to hell with me."

"Kikyo, what are you doing? You're a priestess. Since when have priestesses believed in killing the innocent?"

The priestess grinned evilly. "Now that I am no longer the guardian of the Shikon No Tama, I can express my emotions freely. I am free to love… and free to hate. No longer am I bound by my duties as a priestess. And even if I were… you are not innocent."

She released the arrow, her characteristic scared purple aura rising to surround the arrow, making a screaming noise as it flew through the air towards Kagome.

Kagome had not the time to blink before the arrow was upon her, though even as she closed her eyes, anticipating the pain, she experienced none. Instead, she found herself pinned slightly underneath the weight of InuYasha, both of them having landed awkwardly as InuYasha rescued her from the arrow's path.

InuYasha rolled onto his side, propping himself on one elbow, panting slightly. As he had been leaping through the forest in search of her, he had sighted Kikyo's Soul Catchers. By some luck, a breath of wind had brought the words of their conversation to him. He'd sped up his pace in time to push Kagome out of the arrow's path. Said arrow quivered in the trunk of a tree to the back and side of them.

"You ok Kagome?" He asked, still out of breath. He moved to a kneeling position, grass stains from his slide on the grass evident against the red of his haori. He held out a hand to her.

"Yeah, thanks to you." She said, a bit breathlessly as well. She accepted his hand, and he rose, pulling her to her feet. Leaving his Tetsusaiga sheathed, he stood protectively in front of Kagome, facing Kikyo. He marveled silently at the differences between them.

Kikyo, and Kagome, the latter the reincarnation of the first. How could he have ever thought them the same? Kagome, with her sweet open nature, her easy smiles and quick tempers. She wasn't the same as Kikyo, mysterious, and stoic. They looked so different, and their scents, so different as well. He marveled again at how he ever could have felt them to be even remotely similar.

"So InuYasha, you choose _still _to protect this _girl_?" Asked Kikyo, emphasizing 'girl' with a sneer. "Have you forgotten the promise you made to me, to come to hell with me?"

She stepped out of the woods, taking confident steps towards the two of them, a smirk playing about her lips. Kagome's hand managed somehow to creep its way into InuYasha's. He grasped it, squeezing it reassuringly as if to say, "Don't worry, I'm here."

Kikyo plucked the Sacred Jewel Shard from the stump, examining it critically. "The last shard to the most coveted item in this land…. Key to Naraku's destruction. Originally I would have given this to him, that I might destroy him and the Shikon Jewel. But I'm sick of this world. I'm sick of being surrounded by all this _life_. I'm dead, and the majority of my soul now resides in you. Perhaps I'll leave that task up to you, my reincarnation. You've been so eager to prove yourself against me all this time."

She flicked the shard at Kagome, putting a little of her spiritual power behind it. Kagome let go of InuYasha's hand automatically to catch it, wincing as the Shard dug into her skin from the spiritual power behind the shard. She almost cried out in the slight pain, but bit her tongue. Kikyo wouldn't have the satisfaction of hearing her pain. A few drops of blood fell to the ground from her hand.

InuYasha didn't catch himself before he glared reproachfully at Kikyo. Taking up Kagome's hand, he gently laved his tongue over the wounded area, keeping up his ministrations until the blood stopped flowing. Lacking anything else, he tore up one of her handkerchiefs and bound it about her hand.

Kikyo grimaced, and queried, "So InuYasha, have you made your choice? Will you dishonor your vow to me and remain here with her?"

InuYasha opened his mouth but then he felt a strange force come over his body, holding him tight in its grip. He couldn't move of his own will.

Kikyo beckoned to him with her index finger. "Come to me InuYasha. You will come to hell with me."

With a jerk, InuYasha felt his legs moving him forward, though he did not make them move. He couldn't stop moving forward! Through his peripheral vision, he saw Kagome with a confused look on her face, then she dropped her gaze to the forest floor, bangs covering her eyes.

"NO!" He wanted to shout out to her, "It's not me that's making me do this!"

It was no use, his lips would not move to form the words no matter how hard he tried, and eventually he found himself standing in front of Kikyo.

"That's it InuYasha. Good boy." She said derogatively, patting him on the head.

She turned to Kagome. "You see? InuYasha will always be mine, no matter what you do."

"Let's go InuYasha." Kikyo opened up the portal that led to hell, and the two of them began to sink into the ground, bathed in blue light.

She looked again at Kagome, relishing in the defeated posture the girl stood in. "Kiss me one last time, InuYasha. Let my reincarnation know that you will always be mine, and mine alone."

'STOP!' InuYasha screamed at his body within the confines of his mind. However, his arms rose to rest gently on her shoulders, though by then he wished he could grab those shoulders with his sharp claws. He saw her face slowly coming closer and closer, her lips raised for a kiss, the corners of her mouth upturned in a victorious smirk. Through his peripheral vision, InuYasha saw Kagome. She had lifted her face, and was looking at him with sad eyes. He tried to speak to her with his eyes, trying to tell her he wasn't doing this of his own right. He couldn't tell whether or not he was successful in relaying his message.

Kagome said, "Choose InuYasha. For the last time. You can break her bonds on you, if you choose to do so." Her voice was soft, but it came through to his ears clear as day, cutting through the other loud noises of the shifting of the earth and rock, and the ringing of the blue aura that pulled them deeper and deeper into the ground like her Sacred Arrows cut through air and flesh alike.

InuYasha concentrated on Kikyo's face looming closer and closer to him. This isn't what he wanted. He made a vow to follow the woman he loved into death. And this woman in front of him wasn't that one any longer. He'd follow and protect Kagome to the ends of earth, to the ends of time, wherever she would go. She was the one his heart belonged to now. Feeling searing pain as he did so, InuYasha forced all his willpower into pushing himself away from Kikyo, falling backwards onto the ground as he managed to break through her bonds. He leapt quickly out of the pit before Kikyo could recapture him.

"INUYASHA!" Kikyo screamed as hell swallowed her. "What have you done?"

Then the forest was quiet once more, and the sun returned as the ominous clouds that had gathered drifted away, only a depression in the earth filled with crumbled rock and soil remaining as evidence to what had happened.

InuYasha looked back on the filled hole in the ground, falling to his knees, fists clenching the grass in front of him.

"InuYasha!" Kagome cried out, running to him. She knelt beside him, one hand resting tentatively on his shoulder. "You all right?"

He turned to look at her, managing a small smile. "Yeah… just a little overwhelmed by how lucky I am to still be here right now…."

A moment passed between them in silence, then she stated quietly. "You broke your promise to Kikyo…"

InuYasha shook his head. "No. I promised to follow the woman I loved into hell as compensation for her death. She's… not the woman I love anymore."

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat. Could he be implying, what she thought he might be implying?

InuYasha turned to look at her and grinned at the look on her face. "Come on Kagome, you haven't figured it out yet? I love _you_."

Time seemed to stand still for her, then InuYasha suddenly took her into his arms, one hand gently stroking her hair. "I chose you over her." He said quietly in her ear. "I'll follow you wherever you go Kagome. I'll be with you. Always."

She relaxed into his embrace, leaning her weary frame against his strong chest. "The same goes for you InuYasha. I'll follow you wherever you go. I want to stay with you, always."

He pulled away from her slightly, grinning. "Well, if we're both following each other, we'll never get anywhere, now will we?"

She giggled slightly. "I guess not."

InuYasha shifted her, cradling her in his arms. Getting up, he carried her over to where her bag lay in the woods, slinging one strap over one shoulder. "Come on Kagome. Let's go back to your time. You need some rest."

Kagome settled slowly into sleep as he carried her along the path through the forest, the Jewel Shard clutched tightly in one hand, a smile gracing her face, knowing they'd be together, forever.

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Ok, ok, corny ending… but I hope you guys liked it! Please review! Thanks!


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